History

Welcome to East Carteret High School! We are located in east of Beaufort, NC on Highway 70. Our school hours are 7:30-4:30. The tardy bell rings at 7:50 and the dismissal bell rings at 2:40.

VISION: Bridging Heritage and Horizons

MISSION: The mission of East Carteret High School is to create a supportive learning community that empowers productive and responsible citizens.

East Carteret High School is one of sixteen public schools in Carteret County and one of three high schools. The school serves thirteen "Down East" rural communities, North River, Merrimon, South River, and the town of Beaufort which are located on the southern Outer Banks of coastal North Carolina. The approximately 600 students who attend ECHS come largely from families who have lived and worked in the area for several generations. Most students have very strong connections to the community and to the school. East Carteret High School recognizes and values the unique culture, work ethic, and exceptional creative and artistic talents.

East Carteret High School operates on block scheduling. Block scheduling gives our students the opportunity to earn eight credits per year or thirty-two credits during the students high school career. The school offers a multi-leveled curriculum with as many as three levels of instruction available in some areas. East Carteret High School supports a student based curriculum selection. A variety of career and technical education courses with specialized pathways are available for students choosing a Career College Promise or Occupational diploma, and to supplement the elective opportunities for students in the Future Ready Core program. Students may also enrich their high school learning with college and university Dual Enrollment and Virtual Public School courses. Each year East offers between five and eleven AP courses with approximately 88% of our scores above a level 3. East's graduating class of approximately 146 students regularly earns over $2 million in merit scholarships. ECHS prepares students for entrance into schools such as UNC, Duke, Virginia Tech, MIT, John Hopkins University, Chicago State, Ohio State, and Military Academies.

The staff at East Carteret High School is committed to making sure all students have equal opportunities for learning the essential skills and curriculum. East Carteret also offers a thriving after-school academy to help meet the needs of all students. We as a school recognize the value of each individual student and faculty member.

ECHS boasts an award-winning Marching Band; a national championship Speech and Debate team; a strong, flourishing drama/theatre arts program; a large service-oriented Student Council;; a tremendously popular Latin language program; NC Governor's School participants; high student acceptance into Summer Ventures each year; a significant number of Teaching Fellows; Science Olympiad; and several highly competitive, conference champion sports teams.

Our school culture harbors a nurturing, "family" atmosphere of a small town high school.

Welcome to the Pride of the East!