Annie H. Snipes Academy of Arts and Design, 2150 Chestnut St.: a K-5 arts specialty school, 342 students, a D (43) in 2025-26 state grades.
Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. Sources: Snipes Academy of Arts and Design, New Hanover County Schools, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 accountability data and the federal NCES school directory.
Annie H. Snipes Academy of Arts and Design is a New Hanover County Schools elementary school for kindergarten through fifth grade on Chestnut Street in Wilmington, inside the city limits. According to the district’s specialty program page, it is the district’s K-5 arts specialty school: it has a Design Lab, it is the only elementary school offering dance and instrumental music, and students rotate through arts classes alongside arts woven into the core curriculum. It runs on the district’s restart year-round calendar.
Who to call
- Front office: 910-251-6175, 2150 Chestnut St., Wilmington, NC 28405
- School website: snipes.nhcs.net
- Applying or enrolling: the district’s enrollment office, 910-251-2929. District main line: 910-254-4200.
- Buses: the district’s Transportation Department
- Which school serves my address: the district’s School Locator
| Address | 2150 Chestnut St., Wilmington, NC 28405 |
| Phone | 910-251-6175 |
| 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 Stephanie Willis, according to the school’s website.
Enrollment and teachers
- Federal count: 342 students in the 2024-25 school year, with 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 13 students per teacher. The 2023-24 count was 354.
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 | D | 43 | Met |
| 2024-25 | D | 44 | Met |
| 2023-24 | D | 45 | Exceeded |
A school with a D or F that does not exceed its growth target is designated low-performing. Snipes is on the state’s 2025-26 low-performing schools list, and was also on it in 2024-25.
From the state’s 2025-26 school assessment and indicator data:
- 33.9% of state tests taken at Snipes were at grade level or above, against 59.2% statewide.
- Reading, grades 3 to 5: 27% at grade level. Math: 36%. Fifth-grade science: 50%.
The grades come from the state’s School Performance Grades dashboard data. The state’s interactive school report card for Snipes covers 2024-25.
Attendance zone, admission and feeder schools
Snipes 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 Snipes 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, nearly all of the Snipes zone goes on to Williston Middle and then New Hanover High, with a small area going to Hoggard.
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
- The school’s website and its page in the district’s school directory
- Rachel Freeman School of Engineering, on the same calendar
- Every public school in Wilmington
- Our Wilmington schools guide for enrollment documents and board meetings
Frequently asked questions
What grades does Snipes Academy serve?
Kindergarten through fifth grade. Annie H. Snipes Academy of Arts and Design is a New Hanover County Schools arts specialty program school at 2150 Chestnut St., with 342 students in the federal 2024-25 count.
What is Snipes Academy’s school performance grade?
Snipes earned a D, with a score of 43, in North Carolina’s 2025-26 school performance grades. The state designated it low-performing in 2024-25 and 2025-26.
How do students get into Snipes?
Students who live in the Snipes 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 Snipes follow?
The district’s restart year-round calendar, shared with Freeman. Students are on intersession Oct. 5-16, 2026, and return Monday, Oct. 19.
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