Rachel Freeman School of Engineering, 2601 Princess Place Drive: a K-5 STEM specialty school, 241 students, an F (27) in 2025-26 state grades.

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

Rachel Freeman School of Engineering is a New Hanover County Schools elementary school for kindergarten through fifth grade on Princess Place Drive in Wilmington, inside the city limits. According to the district’s specialty program page, it builds science, technology, engineering and math into the whole curriculum: students learn coding basics at every grade, use the engineering design process (design, build, test, improve), and compete in events such as First Lego League Jr. and Science Olympiad. It runs on the district’s restart year-round calendar.

Who to call
Address 2601 Princess Place Drive, Wilmington, NC 28405
Phone 910-251-6011
Grades Kindergarten to 5
School day 7:40 a.m. to 2:35 p.m.
Calendar Restart year-round
District New Hanover County Schools

Principal

Principal Cyndy Bliss, according to the school’s website.

Enrollment and teachers

  • Federal count: 241 students in the 2024-25 school year, with 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 11 students per teacher. The 2023-24 count was 263.

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 F 27 Not met
2024-25 F 24 Not met
2023-24 F 27 Met

A school with a D or F that does not exceed its growth target is designated low-performing. Freeman is on the state’s 2025-26 low-performing schools list, and was also on it in 2024-25 and 2023-24.

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

  • 17.3% of state tests taken at Freeman were at grade level or above, against 59.2% statewide.
  • Reading, grades 3 to 5: 15.2% at grade level. Math: 14.5%. Fifth-grade science: 34.2%.

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

Attendance zone, admission and feeder schools

Freeman has its own attendance zone; check any address on the district’s School Locator. According to the district’s school assignment page, families who live in a specialty school’s zone do not need to apply, while families outside it apply through the district’s lottery. For 2026-27, applications taken March 2 to April 10, 2026, went into the draw, and the Freeman waitlist stays open until the day before school starts on the restart calendar. Transportation is provided once a student is accepted.

According to the zone map, most of Freeman’s zone goes on to Holly Shelter Middle in Castle Hayne and part to Williston Middle; at high school, it splits between New Hanover High and Emsley A. Laney High.

Calendar and bell times

The school day runs 7:40 a.m. to 2:35 p.m., according to the school’s website. From the 2026-27 restart year-round calendar (PDF), approved Aug. 4, 2026, students are off on:

  • Oct. 5-16: fall intersession; school resumes Monday, Oct. 19
  • Tuesday, Nov. 3: Election Day, teacher workday
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day
  • Nov. 25-27: vacation day, then Thanksgiving
  • Dec. 18 to Jan. 4, 2027: planning days and winter break
  • Monday, Jan. 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The last day for students is Friday, June 11, 2027, a half day.

More on Wilmington schools

Frequently asked questions

What grades does the Freeman School of Engineering serve?

Kindergarten through fifth grade. Rachel Freeman School of Engineering is a New Hanover County Schools STEM specialty program school at 2601 Princess Place Drive, with 241 students in the federal 2024-25 count.

What is Freeman’s school performance grade?

Freeman earned an F, with a score of 27, in North Carolina’s 2025-26 school performance grades. The state has designated it low-performing three years running.

How do students get into Freeman?

Students who live in Freeman’s attendance zone are assigned there. Families outside the zone apply through the district’s specialty program lottery, and transportation is provided once a student is accepted.

What calendar does Freeman follow?

The district’s restart year-round calendar, shared with Snipes. Students are on intersession Oct. 5-16, 2026, and return Monday, Oct. 19.