Best Schools in Wilmington, North Carolina

Wilmington's public school system spans 43 ranked schools with an average rating of 6.5 out of 10 — a solid baseline that masks meaningful variation across the city. Nearly half of all ranked schools, 21 in total, score 7 or above, which means parents here have real choices across a competitive mid-to-upper tier, not just a handful of standouts pulling the average up.

The strongest performers cluster at the elementary level. The International School at Gregory leads the city with a 9.0 rating, the highest score among all 43 ranked public schools. Edwin A. Anderson Elementary follows closely at 8.9, and Dr. Hubert Eaton Sr. Elementary, Pine Valley Elementary, and Mary C. Williams Elementary round out the top five with scores ranging from 8.1 to 8.3. That concentration of high-rated elementaries gives families with younger children a particularly strong set of options to evaluate. Parents comparing these schools should look past the scores alone and weigh proximity, program fit, and feeder patterns into middle school.

The 49 percent of schools scoring 7 or above also signals that Wilmington isn't a city where quality is confined to one or two neighborhoods. A near-majority of ranked schools clear that threshold, which matters practically for parents who can't access the very top schools by address or lottery. At the same time, the 6.5 city average means roughly half the schools fall below that mark — worth noting for families whose zoned school lands in that lower range.

For parents actively comparing options, the data points to a few practical moves. Start with The International School at Gregory and Anderson Elementary if elementary placement is the priority — both sit well above the city average and near the top of North Carolina peers. If your address zones you to a school below the 7.0 threshold, check whether magnet or choice program seats are available at higher-rated schools. Wilmington's spread of 43 ranked schools gives families enough options to make informed comparisons, and MySchoolScout's filters let you sort by rating, grade level, and location to narrow the field quickly.