Cabarrus Today

There were 9,382 students enrolled in Stanly County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 7.9% more than the previous year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

West Stanly High School registered the highest enrollment among Stanly County's 24 schools in the 2023-24 school year, welcoming 759 students.

North Carolina’s student-teacher ratio is roughly 15.4 students per teacher, aligning with the national average. However, rising teacher turnover threatens to push class sizes higher, making it harder for students to get individualized attention.

If vacancies continue to grow, schools may struggle to maintain this ratio, impacting the quality of instruction. Districts in lower-funded areas face the biggest challenges, as limited budgets make it harder to attract and retain teachers.

School name	Total Enrollment in 2022-23	Total Enrollment in 2023-24	% Change
West Stanly High School	743	759	2.2%
Gray Stone Day	740	751	1.5%
West Stanly Middle School	633	630	-0.5%
Central Elementary School	-	555	-
North Stanly High School	558	554	-0.7%
Locust Elementary School	488	531	8.8%
Stanfield Elementary School	413	459	11.1%
North Stanly Middle School	475	450	-5.3%
South Stanly High School	408	433	6.1%
Albemarle High School	359	424	18.1%
Badin Elementary School	433	416	-3.9%
Albemarle Middle School	411	379	-7.8%
South Stanly Middle School	353	362	2.5%
Oakboro Choice STEM	342	356	4.1%
Endy Elementary School	337	352	4.5%
Norwood Elementary School	349	346	-0.9%
Aquadale Elementary School	340	331	-2.6%
Richfield Elementary School	313	318	1.6%
East Albemarle Elementary School	314	288	-8.3%
Millingport Elementary School	196	204	4.1%
Stanly Early College High	182	189	3.8%
Stanly STEM Early College	146	181	24%
Stanly County Virtual Education	162	99	-38.9%
Stanly Academy Learning Center	-	15	-