Pender Early College High

Summary:

Pender Early College High is a public high school in Burgaw, North Carolina, serving 203 students in grades 9-12. This exceptional school consistently outperforms the Pender County Schools district and the state of North Carolina, earning top rankings and a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Pender Early College High's academic performance is truly remarkable. In the 2023-2024 school year, the school achieved 95.8% proficiency in English II, 91.4% in Math I, and 100% in Math III, far surpassing the district and state averages. The school has been ranked among the top 20 high schools in North Carolina for the past three years, with standout performances across various student subgroups, including ranking 1st out of 454 high schools for Hispanic students. Additionally, Pender Early College High serves a relatively economically advantaged student population, with a lower percentage of free and reduced lunch recipients compared to nearby schools like Heide Trask High and Pender High.

The school's consistent academic excellence, diverse student population, and strong performance across various metrics suggest that Pender Early College High is providing an exceptional educational experience for its students. As an early college high school, it offers students the opportunity to earn college credits while in high school, which may contribute to its outstanding outcomes and college readiness. Pender Early College High's success is a testament to its focus on academic rigor, effective teaching practices, and the unique early college model, making it a standout choice for families in the Pender County Schools district and the surrounding region.

Detail:

Public 9-12

100 East Industrial Drive
Burgaw, NC 28425

(910) 362-7925

District: Pender County Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
22^nd of 640 North Carolina High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,865

Feeder schools for Pender Early College High:

Elementary:	C.F. Pope Elementary
	Cape Fear Elementary
	Malpass Corner Elementary
	North Topsail Elementary
	More...
	Penderlea Elementary
	Rocky Point Elementary
	South Topsail Elementary
	Topsail Annandale Elementary School
Middle:	Burgaw Middle
	Cape Fear Middle
	Topsail Middle
	West Pender Middle

Student/teacher ratio: 20.3

Number of students: 193

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.8%

Hispanic:

24.9%

African American:

4.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 33.7%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Pender Early College High to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Pender Early College High ranks better than 96.6% of high schools in North Carolina. It also ranks first among 4 ranked high schools in the Pender County Schools District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 95.52. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Pender Early College High has the smallest high school student body size in the Pender County Schools District. Racial makeup is: White (65.8%), Hispanic (24.9%), African American (4.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 33.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Pender Early College High is 20.3. 2 high schools in the Pender County Schools District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Pender Early College High employs 9.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Pender Early College High is $7,865, which is the lowest among 4 high schools in the Pender County Schools District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Pender Early College High:

SchoolDigger ranks Pender Early College High 22^nd of 640 North Carolina public high schools. (See Pender Early College High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Gifted and Talented students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Pender County Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Pender County Schools 124^th of 242 North Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Pender Early College High.

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Rank History for Pender Early College High

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Rank History for all students at Pender Early College High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2021	98.23	4^th	594	99.3%
2022	96.06	16^th	621	97.4%
2023	95.41	20^th	626	96.8%
2024	95.52	22^nd	640	96.6%

See the entire list of North Carolina High School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Pender Early College High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2022	98.84	16^th	544	97.1%
2023	96.49	34^th	597	94.3%
2024	97.47	23^rd	613	96.2%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Pender Early College High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2022	95.38	13^th	594	97.8%
2023	95.02	15^th	588	97.4%
2024	94.91	18^th	602	97.0%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Pender Early College High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2022	82.51	25^th	398	93.7%
2023	76.57	79^th	403	80.4%
2024	74.12	80^th	403	80.1%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for Male students at Pender Early College High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2022	97.23	8^th	585	98.6%
2023	97.67	1^st	602	99.8%
2024	95.89	25^th	607	95.9%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Pender Early College High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	98.89	6^th	436	98.6%
2024	99.04	1^st	454	99.8%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Pender Early College High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2022	94.83	14^th	534	97.4%
2023	93.35	30^th	537	94.4%
2024	93.93	18^th	553	96.7%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Tuesday, September 18, 2018

I've had one child graduate from PECHS and one currently enrolled. It is a great school. The staff really care about the students succeeding. My daughters both like the school because they are allowed to express themselves without the typical peer pressure. Close Quote

by a teacher
Friday, January 1, 2010

Pender Early College is the best school I have ever worked for. We don't just teach subjects ,rather we teach students how to learn for themselves in all content areas. Close Quote

by a teacher
Monday, October 19, 2009

Pender Early college students continue to excel in Algebra I, Algebra II, and English I. Our students scored higher than the district and state in these areas on the EOC exams. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Pender Early College High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2007	24	11	0	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	48
2008	60	19	0	19	0	n/a	n/a	1	99
2009	98	26	1	22	0	n/a	n/a	0	147
2010	129	39	0	25	0	n/a	n/a	0	193
2011	125	40	0	22	0	0	1	0	188
2012	138	41	0	25	0	0	3	0	207
2013	153	32	0	23	0	0	3	0	211
2014	133	29	0	23	0	0	5	0	190
2015	160	31	0	30	0	1	4	0	226
2016	148	26	1	33	0	0	3	0	211
2017	145	27	0	36	0	0	4	0	212
2018	157	24	0	38	0	0	4	0	223
2019	169	17	1	38	0	0	6	0	231
2020	172	20	1	43	0	0	8	0	244
2021	159	18	1	48	0	0	5	0	231
2022	147	14	3	48	1	0	5	0	218
2023	136	10	2	45	1	0	9	0	203
2024	127	8	2	48	0	0	8	0	193

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Pender Early College High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2007	48	3.5	13.7	68.8
2008	99	4.4	22.5	45.9
2009	147	8.8	16.7	44.9
2010	193	8.7	22.1	45.6
2011	188	10.5	17.8	52.1
2012	207	11.0	18.8	50.7
2013	211	12.0	17.5	51.7
2014	190	12.0	15.8	49.5
2015	226	12.0	18.8	43.8
2016	211	12.0	17.5	35.5
2017	212	12.0	17.6	44.3
2018	223	11.0	20.2	37.2
2019	231	11.0	21.0	48.5
2020	244	10.9	22.2	48
2021	231	11.0	21.0	24.7
2022	218	8.0	27.2	22
2023	203	9.0	22.5	36
2024	193	9.5	20.3	33.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Pender Early College High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2007	48	3.5	13.7	68.8
2008	99	4.4	22.5	45.9
2009	147	8.8	16.7	44.9
2010	193	8.7	22.1	45.6
2011	188	10.5	17.8	52.1
2012	207	11.0	18.8	50.7
2013	211	12.0	17.5	51.7
2014	190	12.0	15.8	49.5
2015	226	12.0	18.8	43.8
2016	211	12.0	17.5	35.5
2017	212	12.0	17.6	44.3
2018	223	11.0	20.2	37.2
2019	231	11.0	21.0	48.5
2020	244	10.9	22.2	48
2021	231	11.0	21.0	24.7
2022	218	8.0	27.2	22
2023	203	9.0	22.5	36
2024	193	9.5	20.3	33.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Pender Early College High

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$425 (5.4%)	$7,440 (94.6%)	$7,865

Data source: North Carolina Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Pender Early College High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
End of Course Math I (Pender Early College High)	100	100
End of Course Math I (Pender County Schools)	51.7	49.8	1.9%
End of Course Math I (North Carolina)	41.2	35.9	5.3%
End of Course Math III (Pender Early College High)	95.8	90.3	5.5%
End of Course Math III (Pender County Schools)	48.2	56.3	8.1%
End of Course Math III (North Carolina)	46.8	58.3	11.5%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	231	203	12.1%
African American	17	10	41.2%
American Indian	0	1
Asian	1	2	100%
Hispanic	38	45	18.4%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	169	136	19.5%
Two or More Races	6	9	50%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	48.5%	36%	12.5%

Schools Near Pender Early College High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				EOC Biology (2024)	EOC English II (2024)	EOC Math I (2024)	EOC Math III (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Pender Early College High	Public	9-12	100 East Industrial Drive	Burgaw	28425	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 362-7925	193	10	20.3	33.7%	127 (65.8%)	8 (4.1%)	48 (24.9%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.1%)	95.5	22^nd of 640 public high schools	96.6%		95.4	20^th of 626 public high schools	96.8%	2		95.8	91.4	100.0	$7,865	$425	$7,440
Pender High	Public	9-12	5380 NC Hwy 53 W	Burgaw	28425	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 259-0162	672	35	19.2	99.6%	291 (43.3%)	200 (29.8%)	143 (21.3%)	3 (0.4%)	6 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.3%)	17.5	534^th of 640 public high schools	16.6%		18.1	523^rd of 626 public high schools	16.5%	11	40.1	40.5	17.2	31.5	$10,022	$530	$9,492
Heide Trask High	Public	9-12	14328 NC Hwy 210	Rocky Point	28457	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 602-6810	734	45	16.3	99.3%	302 (41.1%)	129 (17.6%)	257 (35.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (5.9%)	33.3	420^th of 640 public high schools	34.4%		28.3	447^th of 626 public high schools	28.6%	27	35.7	53.4	46.3	41.1	$10,484	$771	$9,712
SEA-Technical	Public	9-12	5301 Sidbury Road	Castle Hayne	28429	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 530-6300	265	16	16.6	98.9%	155 (58.5%)	42 (15.8%)	46 (17.4%)	6 (2.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.7%)	87	104^th of 640 public high schools	83.8%		76.7	145^th of 626 public high schools	76.8%	41	90.6	83.0	77.8	77.8	$13,361	$253	$13,108
Wilmington Early College High	Public	9-12	4500 Blue Clay Rd	Castle Hayne	28429	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 362-7789	254	11	23.0	98.8%	143 (56.3%)	47 (18.5%)	51 (20.1%)	5 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.1%)	88.3	95^th of 640 public high schools	85.2%		95.1	24^th of 626 public high schools	96.2%	71	70.5	96.4	84.4	87.5	$8,673	$273	$8,400
Wallace-Rose Hill High	Public	9-12	602 High School Road	Teachey	28464	Duplin County	Duplin County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 285-7501	757	47	16.1	99.6%	155 (20.5%)	225 (29.7%)	353 (46.6%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (2.8%)	18.8	524^th of 640 public high schools	18.1%		11.8	563^rd of 626 public high schools	10.1%	39	45.2	35.7	19.2	39.4	$12,968	$891	$12,077
Topsail High	Public	9-12	245 St. Johns Church Road	Hampstead	28443	Pender County	Pender County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 270-2755	1,888	88	21.4	22.8%	1,572 (83.3%)	52 (2.8%)	131 (6.9%)	19 (1.0%)	5 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	106 (5.6%)	76.8	145^th of 640 public high schools	77.3%		80.1	128^th of 626 public high schools	79.6%	17	71.9	77.3	61.8	74.8	$8,065	$589	$7,476
Emsley A Laney High	Public	9-12	2700 N College Rd	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 350-2089	2,248	112	20.0	99.7%	1,266 (56.3%)	413 (18.4%)	394 (17.5%)	36 (1.6%)	7 (0.3%)	3 (0.1%)	129 (5.7%)	47.4	315^th of 640 public high schools	50.8%		44.1	328^th of 626 public high schools	47.6%	13	66.6	64.4	26.9	53.9	$8,690	$533	$8,157

Frequently Asked Questions about Pender Early College High

How many students attend Pender Early College High?

In the 2023-24 school year, 193 students attended Pender Early College High.

What schools feed into Pender Early College High?

Pender Early College High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : C.F. Pope Elementary
Elementary : Cape Fear Elementary
Elementary : Malpass Corner Elementary
Elementary : North Topsail Elementary
Elementary : Penderlea Elementary
Elementary : Rocky Point Elementary
Elementary : South Topsail Elementary
Elementary : Topsail Annandale Elementary School
Middle : Burgaw Middle
Middle : Cape Fear Middle
Middle : Topsail Middle
Middle : West Pender Middle

What is the racial makeup of Pender Early College High?

Students at Pender Early College High are 66% White, 25% Hispanic, 4% African American, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Pender Early College High a good school?

Yes! Pender Early College High is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 22^nd of 640 North Carolina high schools.

What district is Pender Early College High in?

Pender County Schools

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.