Columbus County Schools
Columbus County Schools is a public school district based in Whiteville, North Carolina, serving 5,440 students in 12 schools. By enrollment it ranks #59 of the 112 North Carolina districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 48% of them. Its schools average 453 students each, about the same as the North Carolina median of 446. Its superintendent is Jesse Beck II. It spends about $10,806 per student on day-to-day operations, about the state median. It has roughly 15.7 students per teacher.
How Columbus County compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Columbus County | North Carolina median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $10,806 | $11,153 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $6,667 | $6,920 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $62.1 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $63.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 346 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 15.7 | 15.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 389 | 358 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The North Carolina median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Jesse Beck II
Source: NC Department of Public Instruction, EDDIE, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
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Peer districts in North Carolina
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaufort County SchoolsWashington | 5,601 | 13 | $11,796 | 16.4 | #57 |
| Stokes County SchoolsDanbury | 5,553 | 17 | $11,287 | 14.7 | #58 |
| Columbus County SchoolsWhiteville · this district | 5,440 | 12 | $10,806 | 15.7 | #59 |
| Scotland County SchoolsLaurinburg | 5,416 | 10 | $12,900 | 14.2 | #60 |
| Kannapolis City SchoolsKannapolis | 5,377 | 9 | $11,057 | 15.1 | #61 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billings H SBillings, MT | 5,444 | $11,570 | 16.6 |
| Elmira City School DistrictElmira, NY | 5,441 | $19,724 | 15.3 |
| Grand Ledge Public SchoolsGrand Ledge, MI | 5,440 | $10,539 | 17.9 |
| Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School DistrictPlainview, NY | 5,438 | $30,174 | 11.8 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-nc-columbus-county-schools