South Triangle News

There were 10,175 students enrolled in Chatham County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 3.4% more than the previous year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Seaforth High School registered the highest enrollment among Chatham County's 23 schools in the 2023-24 school year, welcoming 1,022 students.

North Carolina’s student-teacher ratio is roughly 15.4 students per teacher, aligning with the national average. However, rising teacher turnover threatens to push class sizes higher, making it harder for students to get individualized attention.

If vacancies continue to grow, schools may struggle to maintain this ratio, impacting the quality of instruction. Districts in lower-funded areas face the biggest challenges, as limited budgets make it harder to attract and retain teachers.

School name	Total Enrollment in 2022-23	Total Enrollment in 2023-24	% Change
Seaforth High School	727	1,022	40.6%
Jordan Matthews High School	886	851	-4%
Margaret B. Pollard Middle School	767	743	-3.1%
Northwood High School	922	689	-25.3%
Chatham Grove Elementary School	660	676	2.4%
Siler City Elementary School	600	610	1.7%
North Chatham Elementary School	585	588	0.5%
Chatham Charter	570	578	1.4%
Chatham Middle School	554	514	-7.2%
Woods Charter	506	509	0.6%
Pittsboro Elementary School	476	473	-0.6%
Virginia Cross Elementary School	431	442	2.6%
Horton Middle School	371	388	4.6%
Chatham Central High School	352	319	-9.4%
Bonlee School	294	300	2%
Silk Hope School	275	274	-0.4%
Willow Oak Montessori	279	272	-2.5%
Perry W. Harrison Elementary School	210	224	6.7%
J. S. Waters School	198	218	10.1%
Moncure School	-	183	-
Bennett School	169	169	0%
Chatham School of Science & Engineering	-	112	-
SAGE Academy	6	21	250%