Union County Public Schools
Union County Public Schools is a public school district based in Monroe, North Carolina, serving 41,404 students in 52 schools. By enrollment it ranks #6 of the 112 North Carolina districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 95% of them. Its schools average 796 students each, more than the North Carolina median of 446. Its superintendent is Dr Andrew G. Houlihan. It spends about $9,737 per student on day-to-day operations, 13% less than the North Carolina median. It has roughly 16.5 students per teacher.
How Union County compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Union County | North Carolina median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $9,737 | $11,153 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $6,161 | $6,920 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $425.5 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $421.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 2,506 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 16.5 | 15.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 370 | 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 Andrew G. Houlihan
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winston Salem / Forsyth County SchoolsWinston Salem | 52,430 | 81 | $10,626 | 14.2 | #4 |
| Cumberland County SchoolsFayetteville | 49,002 | 86 | $10,286 | 16.8 | #5 |
| Union County Public SchoolsMonroe · this district | 41,404 | 52 | $9,737 | 16.5 | #6 |
| Johnston County Public SchoolsSmithfield | 37,320 | 48 | $9,681 | 17.0 | #7 |
| Cabarrus County SchoolsConcord | 35,772 | 43 | $9,927 | 16.5 | #8 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee CountyCanton, GA | 42,031 | $11,358 | 14.4 |
| Williamson CountyFranklin, TN | 41,593 | $10,483 | n/a |
| Chandler Unified District #80 (4242)Chandler, AZ | 41,421 | $8,851 | 17.6 |
| United ISDLaredo, TX | 40,742 | $10,550 | 15.8 |
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-union-county-public-schools