Edgecombe County Public Schools


Edgecombe County Public Schools is a PK–12 graded school district serving Edgecombe County, North Carolina. It was formed in 1993 from the merger of the old Edgecombe County Schools and Tarboro City Schools systems. The system's nine schools serve 7,477 students as of the 2010–11 school year.

History

The Edgecombe County Public Schools system developed from the merger of the old Edgecombe County Schools and Tarboro City Schools. At the same time, a merger push was happening in neighboring Nash County. The movements in both counties had been going on for years, motivated in part by declining enrollments in Rocky Mounty City Schools, but disagreements focused on district borders. Since the town of Rocky Mount exists in both counties, there was some delay in the merger finalization as court battles over district boundaries and other issues dominated discussions. The original push for merger started in the late 1970s. The state legislature approved the merger in 1991, but this was not finalized until 1993. In 2003, the system officially changed its name from Edgecombe County Schools to Edgecombe County Public Schools.

Student demographics

For the 2017–18 school year, Edgecombe County Schools had a total population of 6,097 students and 393.17 teachers on a basis. This produced a student-teacher ratio of 15.51:1. In 2010-2011, out of the student total, the gender ratio was 51% male to 49% female. The demographic group makeup was: Black, 57%; White, 34%; Hispanic, 8%; American Indian, 0%; and Asian/Pacific Islander, 0%. For the same school year, 79.75% of the students received free and reduced-cost lunches.

Governance

The primary governing body of Edgecombe County Schools follows a council–manager government format with a seven-member Board of Education appointing a Superintendent to run the day-to-day operations of the system. The school system currently resides in the North Carolina State Board of Education's Third District.

Board of Education

The seven members of the Board of Education generally meet on the second Monday of each month. They are elected to four-year staggered terms. The current members of the board are:
The current superintendent of the system is Dr. Valerie Bridges, who has served as associate superintendent of Edgecombe County Public Schools for more than four years. She was awarded a four-year contract as the district’s new superintendent after a lengthy closed session and a unanimous vote of the board. Bridges is the first woman to serve in the role. Dr. Bridges replaced former Superintendent John Farrelly, who accepted a job with Dare County Schools on June 10, 2017.

Member schools

Edgecombe County Schools has 15 schools ranging from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. These are separated into five high schools, four middle schools, and six elementary schools.

High schools

According to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, for the 2018–2019 school year