Johnston County Public Schools
Johnston County Public Schools is a public school district based in Smithfield, North Carolina, serving 37,320 students in 48 schools. By enrollment it ranks #7 of the 112 North Carolina districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 95% of them. Its schools average 778 students each, more than the North Carolina median of 446. Its superintendent is Dr David Pearce. It spends about $9,681 per student on day-to-day operations, 13% less than the North Carolina median. It has roughly 17.0 students per teacher.
How Johnston County compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Johnston County | North Carolina median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $9,681 | $11,153 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $6,734 | $6,920 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $394.1 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $377.1 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 2,189 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 17.0 | 15.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 429 | 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 →Dr David Pearce
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 Johnston County Public 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union County Public SchoolsMonroe | 41,404 | 52 | $9,737 | 16.5 | #6 |
| Johnston County Public SchoolsSmithfield · this district | 37,320 | 48 | $9,681 | 17.0 | #7 |
| Cabarrus County SchoolsConcord | 35,772 | 43 | $9,927 | 16.5 | #8 |
| Durham Public SchoolsDurham | 31,865 | 57 | $12,723 | 15.0 | #9 |
| Gaston County SchoolsGastonia | 30,995 | 56 | $10,074 | 15.9 | #10 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harford County Public SchoolsBel Air, MD | 37,771 | $14,545 | 14.2 |
| Garden Grove UnifiedGarden Grove, CA | 37,009 | $14,737 | 22.9 |
| Richardson ISDRichardson, TX | 36,971 | $10,895 | 13.9 |
| Washington DistrictSt. George, UT | 36,961 | $7,733 | 23.1 |
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-johnston-county-public-schools