Dare County Schools
Dare County Schools is a public school district based in Nags Head, North Carolina, serving 4,968 students in 11 schools. By enrollment it ranks #64 of the 112 North Carolina districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 43% of them. Its schools average 452 students each, about the same as the North Carolina median of 446. Its superintendent is Steve Basnight. It spends about $11,742 per student on day-to-day operations, 5% more than the North Carolina median. It has roughly 14.3 students per teacher.
How Dare County compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Dare County | North Carolina median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $11,742 | $11,153 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $7,349 | $6,920 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $65.7 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $67.7 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 347 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 14.3 | 15.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 355 | 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 →Steve Basnight
Source: NC Department of Public Instruction, EDDIE, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
0 stories matchedWe haven't matched any stories to Dare County Schools yet. Recent North Carolina coverage is on the North Carolina page.
Peer districts in North Carolina
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vance County SchoolsHenderson | 5,205 | 16 | $11,043 | 17.2 | #62 |
| Yadkin County SchoolsYadkinville | 5,174 | 14 | $10,614 | 18.1 | #63 |
| Dare County SchoolsNags Head · this district | 4,968 | 11 | $11,742 | 14.3 | #64 |
| Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public SchoolsElizabeth City | 4,760 | 12 | $11,980 | 15.7 | #65 |
| Watauga County SchoolsBoone | 4,658 | 11 | $11,376 | 13.9 | #66 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| BillericaBillerica, MA | 4,972 | $20,915 | 13.6 |
| Webster ParishMinden, LA | 4,967 | $12,387 | 15.2 |
| Bloomfield Hills SchoolsBloomfield Hills, MI | 4,967 | $19,782 | 11.7 |
| Franklin Community School CorporationFranklin, IN | 4,966 | $10,095 | 16.9 |
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-dare-county-schools