District overview

Northampton County Schools

Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.

How Northampton County Schools are paid for and who decides

A rural district with thin savings, building a new high school with state grant and tax-credit money

Northampton County Schools serves about 1,300 students in northeastern North Carolina. Like other North Carolina districts, it gets most teacher and staff pay from the state, while the Northampton County Board of Commissioners funds a local operating and capital budget the school board must request each spring. The new Northampton Collegiate and Technical High School is paid for mainly by a state Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund grant, plus about $6 million in net New Markets Tax Credit financing closed in June 2026. A seven-member elected Board of Education sets the budget and policies and oversees Superintendent Dr. Rosa Atkins.

County request

The 2026-27 request to the county was $4.68 million (operating plus capital), $222,499 more than the year before, with no use of savings.

Federal relief is gone

Staff said in November 2025 that pandemic relief (ESSER) money had run out.

New high school

Funded by a state grant and tax credits; opening has slipped from October 2026 to January 2027.

Seven elected members

Three members began new four-year terms in July 2026.

Auditors gave the district a clean audit for the third year in a row, and fund balances rose about $567,000 in 2025-26.

Where the district stands

2026-27 request to county commissionersverified

4,680,941 USD

$4,227,941 operating plus $453,000 capital; figures from a machine transcript.

General fund balance (2025-26 audit)verified

1,151,988 USD

As reported at the audit presentation; machine transcript.

Current high school enrollment, 2025-26verified

246 students

About 246 students; 240 in 2024-25.

Major projects

Northampton Collegiate and Technical High School

under construction

A new high school replacing the 36-year-old current building, with career-technical classes brought on site. The board approved its name in May 2026. Staff now expect students to move in during January 2027, and the owner's representative warned in October that a December 24 completion date was optimistic.

Next: Students expected to move in January 2027.

Jan 20, 2026Public hearing on closing the current high school
Apr 21, 2026Calendar set for October 5 opening
May 11, 2026Name approved
Jun 11, 2026Tax-credit financing closed
Aug 10, 2026Opening pushed to January 2027
Oct 12, 2026Completion targeted for December 24

Funding

State Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund grant and New Markets Tax Credit financing (about $6 million net)

Pre-K classrooms at Gaston STEM Leadership Academy

under construction

Four classrooms are being added at Gaston STEM so the preschool can move out of the Squire building. The board picked a design-build contractor in February 2026; the cost was $1.58 million as of June.

Next: Completion expected around November 2026.

Feb 20, 2026Design-build contract approved
Jun 8, 2026Cost set at $1.58 million

Funding

District capital funds

Recent news

Machine transcripts of the 15 board meeting recordings posted on the district's Meeting Videos page (November 2025 to October 2026), reviewed in full.

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