Dr. John Codington Elementary, 4321 Carolina Beach Road: a K-5 year-round school by lottery, 470 students, an A (85) in 2025-26 state grades.

Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. Sources: Codington Elementary, New Hanover County Schools, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 accountability data and the federal NCES school directory.

Dr. John Codington Elementary School is a New Hanover County Schools year-round elementary school for kindergarten through fifth grade on Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington, inside the city limits. According to the district’s specialty and year-round schools page, it serves the southern end of the county. Families apply; there is no automatic assignment.

Who to call
Address 4321 Carolina Beach Road, Wilmington, NC 28412
Phone 910-790-2236
Grades Kindergarten to 5
School day 7:05 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.
Calendar Year-round
District New Hanover County Schools

Principal

Principal Pamela Biggs, according to the school’s website.

Enrollment and teachers

  • Federal count: 470 students in the 2024-25 school year, with 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 15 students per teacher. The 2023-24 count was 448.

State report card

North Carolina grades every public school from A to F. According to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s technical guide, 80% of the grade comes from an achievement score built on state tests and other indicators, and 20% from students’ academic growth, on a 15-point scale.

School year Grade Score Growth
2025-26 A 85 Exceeded
2024-25 B 76 Exceeded
2023-24 B 75 Met

From the state’s 2025-26 school assessment and indicator data:

  • 83.8% of state tests taken at Codington were at grade level or above, against 59.2% statewide.
  • Reading, grades 3 to 5: 79.6% at grade level. Math: 85.1%. Fifth-grade science: 92.8%.

The grades come from the state’s School Performance Grades dashboard data. The state’s interactive school report card for Codington covers 2024-25.

How admission works

According to the district’s school assignment page:

  • A year-round school runs “nine-week on, three-week intercession (off).” The district has two, Codington and Eaton.
  • Families apply to the year-round school located in their assigned territory; the enrollment office, 910-251-2929, can tell you which one covers your address.
  • Students are chosen by random lottery. For 2026-27, applications taken March 2 to April 10, 2026, went into the draw. Later applications go on a waitlist, and the district takes them until the day before school starts.
  • Transportation is provided as long as the student lives in the territory.

Your zoned elementary school is on the district’s School Locator.

Calendar and bell times

The school day runs 7:05 a.m. to 2:20 p.m., according to the school’s website. From the 2026-27 year-round calendar (PDF), approved Dec. 2, 2025, students are off on:

  • Tuesday, Nov. 3: teacher workday
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day
  • Nov. 25-27: teacher workday, then Thanksgiving
  • Dec. 21 to Jan. 8, 2027: winter break, intersession and teacher workdays; Friday, Dec. 18, is a half day
  • Monday, Jan. 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

More on Wilmington schools

Frequently asked questions

Is Codington Elementary a year-round school?

Yes. Codington is one of two New Hanover County Schools year-round elementary schools, on a nine-weeks-on, three-weeks-off schedule. It serves the southern end of the county, and students are chosen by random lottery.

What is Codington Elementary’s school performance grade?

Codington earned an A, with a score of 85, in North Carolina’s 2025-26 school performance grades, up from a B (76) in 2024-25, and exceeded its growth target.

What time does Codington Elementary start?

The school’s website lists its hours as 7:05 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.