Is Kinston High a good school?

Kinston High ranks in the bottom 8.1% of North Carolina high schools.

How many students attend Kinston High?

In the 2023-24 school year, 706 students attended Kinston High.

What is the racial makeup of Kinston High?

Students at Kinston High are 88% African American, 6% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% White.

What schools feed into Kinston High?

Kinston High is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Northeast Elementary Elementary : Northwest Elementary Elementary : Southeast Elementary Middle : Rochelle Middle

Kinston High

Summary:

Kinston High is a public high school in Kinston, North Carolina, serving 713 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Lenoir County Public Schools district, which is ranked 169 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Kinston High faces significant academic challenges, consistently performing below state and district averages on End-of-Course exams. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, the school's proficiency rates ranged from 14.1% in Math I to 35.6% in English II, compared to the state averages of 36.9% and 59.7%, respectively. The school's statewide ranking has steadily declined, from 454 out of 514 high schools in 2018-2019 to 588 out of 640 high schools in the current 2023-2024 school year, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Additionally, Kinston High has an extremely high percentage of students (over 99%) who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

Compared to nearby schools in the Lenoir County Public Schools district, such as South Lenoir High and North Lenoir High, Kinston High's academic performance is significantly lower. The nearby Lenoir County Early College High stands out with exceptional academic performance, with proficiency rates ranging from 78.8% in Math III to 96.6% in English II, far surpassing the district and state averages. When compared to schools in the neighboring Pitt County Schools district, such as PCS Early College High School, Kinston High's academic performance is also significantly lower.

Detail:

Public 9-12

2601 N Queen St
Kinston, NC 28501-1799

(252) 527-8067

District: Lenoir County Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
588^th of 640 North Carolina High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,743

Feeder schools for Kinston High:

Elementary:	Northeast Elementary
	Northwest Elementary
	Southeast Elementary
Middle:	Rochelle Middle

Student/teacher ratio: 18.4

Number of students: 706

Racial breakdown:

African American:

88.4%

Hispanic:

5.7%

Two or more races:

3.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 99.6%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Kinston High to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Kinston High ranks worse than 91.9% of high schools in North Carolina. It also ranks last among 4 ranked high schools in the Lenoir County Public Schools District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 10.71. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (88.4%), Hispanic (5.7%), two or more races (3.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 99.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Kinston High is 18.4. 2 high schools in the Lenoir County Public Schools District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Kinston High employs 38.3 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Kinston High is $10,743, which is the highest among 4 high schools in the Lenoir County Public Schools District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Kinston High:

SchoolDigger ranks Kinston High 588^th of 640 North Carolina public high schools. (See Kinston High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Gifted and Talented students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

Lenoir County Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Lenoir County Public Schools 169^th of 242 North Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Kinston High?

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Rank History for Kinston High

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Rank History for all students at Kinston High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2006	43.60	286^th	431	33.6%
2007	33.25	335^th	453	26.0%
2008	27.55	386^th	477	19.1%
2009	29.95	385^th	490	21.4%
2010	37.57	366^th	499	26.7%
2011	27.06	418^th	506	17.4%
2012	19.37	425^th	502	15.3%
2013	13.86	424^th	505	16.0%
2014	6.98	432^nd	451	4.2%
2015	7.78	465^th	531	12.4%
2016	6.55	456^th	507	10.1%
2017	4.80	443^rd	476	6.9%
2018	4.75	440^th	469	6.2%
2019	12.15	454^th	514	11.7%
2021	11.15	550^th	594	7.4%
2022	8.11	589^th	621	5.2%
2023	7.02	598^th	626	4.5%
2024	10.71	588^th	640	8.1%

See the entire list of North Carolina High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Kinston High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	5.42	243^rd	249	2.4%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Kinston High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	9.34	404^th	424	4.7%
2019	18.71	381^st	446	14.6%
2021	19.60	370^th	432	14.4%
2022	14.36	517^th	544	5.0%
2023	10.25	576^th	597	3.5%
2024	15.34	557^th	613	9.1%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Kinston High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	3.79	437^th	449	2.7%
2019	8.68	452^nd	475	4.8%
2021	12.15	426^th	475	10.3%
2022	7.20	572^nd	594	3.7%
2023	7.76	562^nd	588	4.4%
2024	11.48	556^th	602	7.6%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Kinston High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	14.00	344^th	349	1.4%
2019	78.53	32^nd	364	91.2%
2021	50.20	111^th	334	66.8%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Kinston High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	12.12	97^th	100	3.0%
2022	0.10	398^th	398	0.0%
2023	0.34	402^nd	403	0.2%
2024	16.07	379^th	403	6.0%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for Male students at Kinston High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	3.91	447^th	463	3.5%
2019	11.89	443^rd	488	9.2%
2021	11.63	444^th	481	7.7%
2022	8.42	561^st	585	4.1%
2023	5.89	579^th	602	3.8%
2024	9.23	577^th	607	4.9%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Kinston High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	15.56	334^th	359	7.0%
2019	26.44	287^th	369	22.2%
2021	24.52	283^rd	364	22.3%
2022	17.62	396^th	430	7.9%
2023	17.40	395^th	434	9.0%
2024	23.62	359^th	437	17.8%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Kinston High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	31.66	310^th	454	31.7%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Kinston High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1993	304	1036	9	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	1350
1994	278	984	7	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	1273
1995	297	989	6	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	1293
1996	297	989	6	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	1293
1997	293	911	6	5	2	n/a	n/a	0	1217
1998	295	879	10	7	3	n/a	n/a	0	1194
1999	276	824	11	4	4	n/a	n/a	0	1119
2000	261	805	10	6	4	n/a	n/a	0	1086
2001	229	833	7	9	1	n/a	n/a	0	1079
2002	207	852	6	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	1073
2003	207	852	6	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	1073
2004	180	902	8	11	1	n/a	n/a	0	1102
2005	172	868	10	14	1	n/a	n/a	0	1065
2006	150	921	19	13	1	n/a	n/a	0	1104
2007	125	871	16	15	1	n/a	n/a	7	1035
2008	93	866	11	16	1	n/a	n/a	7	994
2009	78	851	8	16	0	n/a	n/a	0	953
2010	58	851	5	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	927
2011	60	796	1	33	3	0	23	0	916
2012	63	779	4	28	4	1	24	0	903
2013	56	751	6	30	2	0	24	0	869
2014	61	765	9	27	0	0	17	0	879
2015	55	755	10	23	0	0	11	0	854
2016	41	715	5	15	0	0	12	0	788
2017	29	711	7	11	0	1	13	0	772
2018	19	659	9	15	0	1	11	0	714
2019	8	606	7	18	0	0	9	0	648
2020	12	595	9	16	0	0	14	0	646
2021	9	577	5	22	0	0	19	0	632
2022	19	583	9	25	0	1	29	0	666
2023	17	634	6	29	0	1	26	0	713
2024	12	624	5	40	0	1	24	0	706

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Kinston High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1993	1350	91.0	14.8	32.6
1994	1273	93.0	13.7	34.6
1995	1293	92.0	14.1	30.1
1996	1293	92.0	14.1	30.1
1997	1217	89.0	13.7	29.5
1998	1194	98.0	12.2	24.6
1999	1119	98.0	11.4	26.5
2000	1086	98.0	11.1	29.4
2001	1079	98.0	11.0	31.5
2002	1073	98.0	10.9	38.6
2003	1073	98.0	10.9	38.6
2004	1102	94.0	11.7	61.3
2005	1065	94.0	11.3	51.5
2006	1104	94.0	11.7	55.5
2007	1035	74.6	13.9	54.3
2008	994	72.7	13.7	60.9
2009	953	66.8	14.3	61.3
2010	927	60.7	15.2	68.1
2011	916	58.0	15.7	75.9
2012	903	60.0	15.0	78.2
2013	869	58.5	14.8	79.4
2014	879	54.6	16.0	80.3
2015	854	55.0	15.5	98.6
2016	788	52.0	15.1	99.6
2017	772	46.0	16.7	97.7
2018	714	45.0	15.8	97.8
2019	648	43.2	15.0	99.5
2020	646	41.6	15.5	97.1
2021	632	41.5	15.2	99.5
2022	666	40.0	16.6	99.5
2023	713	41.0	17.3	99.6
2024	706	38.3	18.4	99.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Kinston High

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1993	1350	91.0	14.8	32.6
1994	1273	93.0	13.7	34.6
1995	1293	92.0	14.1	30.1
1996	1293	92.0	14.1	30.1
1997	1217	89.0	13.7	29.5
1998	1194	98.0	12.2	24.6
1999	1119	98.0	11.4	26.5
2000	1086	98.0	11.1	29.4
2001	1079	98.0	11.0	31.5
2002	1073	98.0	10.9	38.6
2003	1073	98.0	10.9	38.6
2004	1102	94.0	11.7	61.3
2005	1065	94.0	11.3	51.5
2006	1104	94.0	11.7	55.5
2007	1035	74.6	13.9	54.3
2008	994	72.7	13.7	60.9
2009	953	66.8	14.3	61.3
2010	927	60.7	15.2	68.1
2011	916	58.0	15.7	75.9
2012	903	60.0	15.0	78.2
2013	869	58.5	14.8	79.4
2014	879	54.6	16.0	80.3
2015	854	55.0	15.5	98.6
2016	788	52.0	15.1	99.6
2017	772	46.0	16.7	97.7
2018	714	45.0	15.8	97.8
2019	648	43.2	15.0	99.5
2020	646	41.6	15.5	97.1
2021	632	41.5	15.2	99.5
2022	666	40.0	16.6	99.5
2023	713	41.0	17.3	99.6
2024	706	38.3	18.4	99.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Kinston High

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$1,412 (13.1%)	$9,331 (86.9%)	$10,743

Data source: North Carolina Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Kinston High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 454^th of 514 High schools	Ranks 598^th of 626 High schools	7.2%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
End of Course Biology (Kinston High)	37.9	16.4	21.5%
End of Course Biology (Lenoir County Public Schools)	47.3	37.7	9.6%
End of Course Biology (North Carolina)	59.6	54.1	5.5%
End of Course English II (Kinston High)	34.9	30.9	4%
End of Course English II (Lenoir County Public Schools)	44.7	39.5	5.2%
End of Course English II (North Carolina)	59.7	58.5	1.2%
End of Course Math I (Kinston High)	15.8	14.5	1.3%
End of Course Math I (Lenoir County Public Schools)	29	21.2	7.8%
End of Course Math I (North Carolina)	41.2	35.9	5.3%
End of Course Math III (Kinston High)	8.2	8.8	0.6%
End of Course Math III (Lenoir County Public Schools)	28.9	33.3	4.4%
End of Course Math III (North Carolina)	46.8	58.3	11.5%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	648	713	10%
African American	606	634	4.6%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	7	6	14.3%
Hispanic	18	29	61.1%
Pacific Islander	0	1
White	8	17	112.5%
Two or More Races	9	26	188.9%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	99.5%	99.6%	0%

Schools Near Kinston High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				EOC Biology (2024)	EOC English II (2024)	EOC Math I (2024)	EOC Math III (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Kinston High	Public	9-12	2601 N Queen St	Kinston	28501	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 527-8067	706	38	18.4	99.6%	12 (1.7%)	624 (88.4%)	40 (5.7%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	24 (3.4%)	10.7	588^th of 640 public high schools	8.1%		7	598^th of 626 public high schools	4.5%	10	28.1	35.6	14.1	23.0	$10,743	$1,412	$9,331
Lenoir County Early College High	Public	9-12	231 Hwy 58 South	Kinston	28502	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 233-6870	230	8	30.6	98.7%	103 (44.8%)	46 (20.0%)	64 (27.8%)	12 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.2%)	87.8	98^th of 640 public high schools	84.7%		91.3	57^th of 626 public high schools	90.9%	41	80.4	96.6	84.2	78.8	$8,270	$445	$7,825
North Lenoir High	Public	9-12	2400 Institute Road	La Grange	28551	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 527-9184	989	56	17.7	99.4%	359 (36.3%)	403 (40.7%)	188 (19.0%)	10 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (2.9%)	16.4	543^rd of 640 public high schools	15.2%		19.7	509^th of 626 public high schools	18.7%	34	35.2	42.2	14.2	33.2	$9,635	$1,181	$8,454
Ayden-Grifton High	Public	9-12	7653 NC 11 South	Ayden	28513	Pitt County	Pitt County Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 746-4183	735	44	16.6	99.3%	319 (43.4%)	274 (37.3%)	112 (15.2%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (3.5%)	21.8	503^rd of 640 public high schools	21.4%		26.8	462^nd of 626 public high schools	26.2%	41	33.3	40.5	29.9	42.9	$10,854	$1,280	$9,574
South Lenoir High	Public	9-12	3355 Old Hwy 11 South	Deep Run	28525	Lenoir County	Lenoir County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(252) 568-6161	764	47	16.2	99.6%	431 (56.4%)	112 (14.7%)	180 (23.6%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	36 (4.7%)	30.1	448^th of 640 public high schools	30.0%		23.4	493^rd of 626 public high schools	21.2%	45	50.0	40.6	32.7	44.9	$10,185	$1,319	$8,866
Greene Early College High	Public	9-12	818 Highway 91	Snow Hill	28580	Greene County	Greene County Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 747-9044	143	9	15.8	97.9%	31 (21.7%)	25 (17.5%)	84 (58.7%)	1 (0.7%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	85.6	111^th of 640 public high schools	82.7%		81.4	120^th of 626 public high schools	80.8%	9	73.5	94.9	75.0	75.0	$9,040	$301	$8,739
Greene Central High	Public	9-12	140 School Drive	Snow Hill	28580	Greene County	Greene County Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 747-3814	773	54	14.4	99.6%	211 (27.3%)	299 (38.7%)	234 (30.3%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (3.4%)	14.4	556^th of 640 public high schools	13.1%		16.5	534^th of 626 public high schools	14.7%	22	21.8	37.8	28.7	27.9	$11,712	$1,688	$10,024
Eastern Wayne High	Public	9-12	1135 New Hope Road	Goldsboro	27534	Wayne County	Wayne County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 751-7120	806	50	16.2	99.6%	114 (14.1%)	501 (62.2%)	138 (17.1%)	13 (1.6%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	36 (4.5%)	21.1	508^th of 640 public high schools	20.6%		11.1	568^th of 626 public high schools	9.3%	60	28.7	45.2	35.6	25.6	$9,800	$921	$8,879
Spring Creek High	Public	9-12	4340 Indian Springs Rd	Seven Springs	28578	Wayne County	Wayne County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 751-7160	742	46	16.1	99.6%	167 (22.5%)	95 (12.8%)	453 (61.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	25 (3.4%)	33.7	413^th of 640 public high schools	35.5%		25.8	469^th of 626 public high schools	25.1%	56	34.0	48.5	56.5	41.1	$9,260	$926	$8,335
South Central	Public	9-12	570 W Forlines Road	Winterville	28590	Pitt County	Pitt County Schools	No	No	No	No	(252) 321-3232	1,661	95	17.5	99.8%	341 (20.5%)	1,062 (63.9%)	109 (6.6%)	22 (1.3%)	4 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	122 (7.3%)	43.7	342^nd of 640 public high schools	46.6%		37.1	380^th of 626 public high schools	39.3%	38	60.6	54.2	44.0	54.7	$8,918	$1,095	$7,823

Kinston High

Kinston High:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Lenoir County Public Schools:

What do you think?

Rank History for Kinston High

Rank History for all students at Kinston High

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Kinston High

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Kinston High

Rank History for Female students at Kinston High

Rank History for Disabled students at Kinston High

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Kinston High

Rank History for Male students at Kinston High

Rank History for African American students at Kinston High

Rank History for Hispanic students at Kinston High

Enrollment information for Kinston High

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Student/Teacher Ratio Kinston High

Per Pupil Expenditures for Kinston High

Impact of COVID-19 on Kinston High

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