Cabarrus Today

West Stanly High School had the highest enrollment among Stanly County schools, welcoming 743 students during the 2022-23 school year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Among the 22 schools in Stanly County, Gray Stone Day ranked second in enrollment numbers with 740 students, while West Stanly Middle School welcomed 633 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

West Stanly High School is part of Stanly County Schools district, which roughly covers institutions within Stanly County and has a main office in Albemarle.

In the previous school year, Gray Stone Day had the highest number of students among Stanly County schools.

North Carolina's public schools are facing a significant funding gap, with a per-student expenditure of $10,519 — well below the national average of $14,295.

This financial strain is further compounded by a significant challenge in staffing with a staggering 58.4% surge in vacant teaching positions in the 2021-22 school year, leaving over 5,000 classrooms without qualified instructors.

School name	City	Total School Enrollment
West Stanly High School	Oakboro	743
Gray Stone Day	Misenheimer	740
West Stanly Middle School	Locust	633
North Stanly High School	New London	558
Locust Elementary School	Locust	488
North Stanly Middle School	New London	475
Badin Elementary School	Badin	433
Stanfield Elementary School	Stanfield	413
Albemarle Middle School	Albemarle	411
South Stanly High School	Norwood	408
Albemarle High School	Albemarle	359
South Stanly Middle School	Norwood	353
Norwood Elementary School	Norwood	349
Oakboro Choice STEM	Oakboro	342
Aquadale Elementary School	Norwood	340
Endy Elementary School	Albemarle	337
East Albemarle Elementary School	Albemarle	314
Richfield Elementary School	Richfield	313
Millingport Elementary School	Albemarle	196
Stanly Early College High	Albemarle	182
Stanly County Virtual Education	Stanfield	162
Stanly STEM Early College	Albemarle	146