Carteret County Schools....Best in NC STATE!!!

Some of you recognize me as the co-owner of Flip Flops Donuts and some of you know me as your broker of real estate specializing in waterfront and water view properties along the Crystal Coast, especially in my town of Emerald Isle, NC. Both occupations keep me in touch with the local public education here in Carteret County. Every year, I employ several Carteret County HS students in my donut shop. I learn firsthand about the education of our children from the children, themselves! This first hand knowledge comes in handy when talking to parents who are considering a move to the North Carolina Coast especially those with school aged children. What are the school systems like on the Crystal Coast? Will I need to send my children to private school? How do these rural schools compete with the big city schools? The answers to these questions follow:

You can’t always rely on the answers a teenager gives so I did a little research recently. I read the most recent annual School Performance report published by the North Carolina State Board of Education. When people think of high-performing school districts in North Carolina, they think of metropolitan districts like Wake and Mecklenburg Counties, home to the big cities of Raleigh and Charlotte. However, this report revealed that the number one test scores were not coming from students living in big cities, but from students who live at the coast, right here, in Carteret County.

According to the report, Carteret County public high school students earned the top end-of-grade and end-of-course test scores in the state. More than 88 percent of the district's students received an A or B grade, based on a their achievement scores on reading and math tests.

I followed up my reading with some comments by local Carteret County Schools administrators. The first administrator was Mat Bottoms who has been an educator in Carteret County for almost 40 years — the beach drew him to the Crystal Coast initially, but the students are one of the many things that made him stay. Today, Mat is Superintendent of Carteret County Schools. And he says that "All three of our high schools are in the top 15 out of almost 400 high schools in the state — there's no other district that's done this.”

Bottoms also said that when it comes to test scores, Carteret County's competition is usually Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, a district he said is located in the "mecca of education,” situated as they are in the home town of the flagship campus of the University of North Carolina.

Bottoms went on to say that "Chapel Hill has a great school system and we feel that we're in good company when we say their name with ours. But we're doing the same thing here and doing it well.”

Bottoms noted Carteret County's smaller class sizes and its strong commitment to the basics — reading, writing and mathematics — as reasons behind the school district's success.

Bottoms also said that "We also have a fourth component — relationships. That's what makes us unique; — the relationships that teachers, administrators and staff have with our kids and our families.” "Carteret County is a small community, and the relationships we have with our students are very tight knit. We don't mind calling home when a student is struggling in class."

To learn more about Carteret County Schools return for part TWO of my story on Sunday. To learn more about living in Emerald Isle, NC, visit my website, www.EmeraldIsleHomesforSaleNC.comand sign up for my blog. Explore the video tab for my weekly uploads to my YouTube channel. Text your email address to 919-308-2292 and be subscribed to my newsletter. In these ways you can still practice social distancing and learn about real estate! Stay well and Stay safe!