Long a world-class destination for visitors and vacationers, the Crystal Coast is now recognized as a great place to live full-time. I like to say, Live where you Vacation. With North Carolina’s top-ranked public schools, lowest property tax rate and the only North Carolina hospital affiliated with the Mayo Clinic Care Network, Carteret County is attracting people at every stage of life who want to become permanent residents. The transformation of U.S.Highway 70 to new Interstate 42 status will only accelerate the in-migration of new residents. To say that the Crystal Coast offers a superlative quality of life is an understatement. With a temperate 4-season climate and the Atlantic Ocean and multiple sounds and rivers accessible within minutes from any location in the county, Carteret County is a mecca for those seeking outdoor recreation and a pristine natural environment. The County is composed of many quaint small towns and unincorporated communities, each with its unique personality and cultural amenities.
One of the keys to attracting permanent residents to any community is the performance of the public schools. From Cedar Point to Cedar Island there are 85 miles of beautiful coastal scenery, and numerous friendly towns in Carteret County, along with 18 public schools…9 elementary schools from Atlantic to Cape Carteret, 4 middle schools and 4 high schools that are committed to creating opportunities for all students to do their best and to succeed..And, boy do they succeed. Carteret County’s public schools are among the top performing schools in North Carolina. Last year’s annual School Performance Grade Accountability report, released by the State Board of Education, revealed that Carteret County had the highest-rated high schools in the state. That is no trivial accomplishment when you consider Carteret County public high school students outperformed the students in the Chapel Hill Carrboro district, the traditional benchmark district as well as students in the Raleigh and Charlotte metro regions, to boot. Carteret County public high school students earned the top end-of-course and end-of-grade test scores in North Carolina, and more than 88 percent of the district’s schools received an A or B grade. These grades are based on a school’s achievement scores on math and reading tests combined with the academic growth rate of its students. The public school system’s top-rated performance doesn’t stop at high EOC and EOG scores. Carteret County high school students also consistently earn among the highest SAT and ACT scores annually in North Carolina. The Carteret County News-Times reported that county graduates scored well above the state and national averages on the SAT exam, earning the third highest score out of 115 public school systems in the state last year. Bottom line, Carteret County Public Schools schools are such a great attribute of the county. School-aged children get an education here that is frankly superior to what many private schools offer in the urban areas of the state — and it’s free.
Not to be outdone, Carteret Community College also recently received national recognition. Carteret Community College is one of the best community colleges in the country, and we are also home to the marine sciences campuses of Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State. SmartAsset ranked Carteret Community College the 4th best community college in the nation in its 2020 ranking of Best Community Colleges in America. The rankings considered student-to-faculty ratio, graduation and transfer rate, and cost of tuition and fees. Bottom line, Carteret County believes in education, that education is essential to growth and progress. It takes a lot more to learn skills than it once did and education collapses the time frame. Carteret County aggressively funds its schools locally, and that is why they are always in the top 10% of state funding for what’s called the ADM metric — Average Daily Membership of students."
While COVID-19 has shifted the school system to a hybrid of in-class and remote instruction for the time being, Carteret County Schools remain committed to equipping its students with a strong foundation of the basics — reading, writing and mathematics. This, coupled with the system’s smaller class sizes when compared to larger urban districts, help explain Carteret County School’s success. It’s no surprise that the public school system is often noted by residents and Carteret County transplants as a major factor in their decision to raise a family in the county. To learn more about living in Carteret County and along the Crystal COast, go to my website, www.EmeraldIsleHomesforSaleNC.com and sign up for my blog. Ready to buy or sell? Call me at 919-308-2292. Explore the video tab for my weekly uploads to my YouTube channel. Subscribe to my YouTube channel and receive free donuts at my Flip Flops Donut shop. Text your email address to 919-308-2292 and subscribe to my newsletter. My book, "Live Where You Vacation" is available on Amazon.com.
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