Wrightsboro Elementary, 2716 Castle Hayne Road: pre-K to grade 5, 502 students, a D (53) in 2025-26 state grades, with growth exceeded.

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

Wrightsboro Elementary School is a New Hanover County Schools elementary school for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade on Castle Hayne Road, north of Wilmington. It has a Wilmington mailing address, but sits outside the city limits in unincorporated New Hanover County, in the Census Bureau’s Wrightsboro area.

Who to call
Address 2716 Castle Hayne Road, Wilmington, NC 28401
Phone 910-815-6909
Grades Pre-K to 5
School day 7:40 a.m. to 2:35 p.m.
District New Hanover County Schools

Principal

Principal Michelle Faison, according to the school’s website.

Enrollment and teachers

  • Federal count: 502 students in the 2024-25 school year, including pre-K, with 33 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 15 students per teacher. The 2023-24 count was 470.

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 53 Exceeded
2024-25 D 48 Met
2023-24 D 46 Not met

Wrightsboro was on the state’s low-performing schools list in 2023-24 and 2024-25. Because it exceeded its growth target in 2025-26, it is not on the 2025-26 list.

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

  • 43.1% of state tests taken at Wrightsboro were at grade level or above, against 59.2% statewide.
  • Reading, grades 3 to 5: 39.7% at grade level. Math: 42.7%. Fifth-grade science: 55.6%.

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

Attendance zone and feeder schools

Check any address on the district’s School Locator map or call the enrollment office at 910-251-2929. According to the zone map, the whole Wrightsboro zone goes on to Holly Shelter Middle, 3921 Roger Haynes Drive in Castle Hayne. At high school, the zone 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. Wrightsboro follows the district’s traditional calendar. From the 2026-27 calendar (PDF), students are off on:

  • Monday, Oct. 26: teacher workday
  • Tuesday, Nov. 3: Election Day, teacher workday
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day
  • Nov. 25-27: teacher workday, then Thanksgiving
  • Dec. 21 to Jan. 1, 2027: winter break

More on Wilmington schools

Frequently asked questions

What grades does Wrightsboro Elementary serve?

Pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Wrightsboro is a New Hanover County Schools elementary school at 2716 Castle Hayne Road, with 502 students in the federal 2024-25 count.

What is Wrightsboro Elementary’s school performance grade?

Wrightsboro earned a D, with a score of 53, in North Carolina’s 2025-26 school performance grades, up from 48, and exceeded its growth target. It came off the state’s low-performing list this year.

Which middle and high school does Wrightsboro feed into?

Holly Shelter Middle in Castle Hayne. The zone then splits between New Hanover High and Emsley A. Laney High, according to the district’s school locator map.

What time does Wrightsboro Elementary start?

The school’s website lists its hours as 7:40 a.m. to 2:35 p.m.