Pender County Comprehensive Land Use Plan Pender County School System The Pender County Public School System published a School Enrollment Long Range Plan in May 2008. The report predicted that if growth patterns continue as projected, Pender County would have nearly 50,000 housing units by the year 2028 – a 104% increase over the 24,463 dwelling units found in the 2000 Census. The report also predicted that school enrollment would increase to 25,000 students if the state average household size of 2.5 people per household held true through 2028. Table B-23 shows a comparison between housing units and enrollment in Pender County and Brunswick County.
Table B-23: Comparison of Housing Units vs. School Enrollment 2006 Pender and Brunswick Counties
County
Housing Units
Students
Persons per Household
Pender County
24,463
7,651
2.30
Brunswick County
68,996
11,419
2.16
Source: Pender County Public Schools: School Enrollment Long Range Plan
The Long Range Plan further indicated that in Pender County the number of persons per household ranges from as high as 2.7 persons per household in some rural areas to as low as 1.8 persons per household in eastern parts of the County nearest the Atlantic Ocean. A lower number of persons per household typically indicates more elderly or retirement age families. In the five-year period between 2002 and 2007, there was significant growth in public school system enrollment in Pender County (Table B-23); however growth rates varied based on area of the County with the highest growth rates in the eastern area. Public school enrollment is projected to increase by 24% between 2008 and 2018 (Graph G-16).
Old Topsail High School
The Long Range Plan reported that schools within Pender County, especially within Burgaw and Topsail Beach, were over capacity in 2007-2008. As of 2008, the Pender County Public School System planned to construct an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school to help alleviate over-crowding.
Appendix B: 40