Border Belt School Districts Face Budget Strain as Enrollment Drops Up to 4.4%

Public school districts across North Carolina's Border Belt region watched enrollment tumble this year. Families scattered to charter schools and homeschooling. Bladen County Schools enrolled 4.4% fewer students than last year, the steepest decline in the area.

Public Schools of Robeson County lost 2.2% of students. Whiteville City Schools dropped 2.9%. Columbus County Schools shed 2.3%, and Scotland County Schools slipped by 2.5%.

State funding hinges on how many kids show up. Scotland County Schools pulls in $15,902 per student from state coffers, while Bladen gets $15,127 per student, according to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. Robeson receives $14,139. Whiteville gets $13,431, and Columbus gets $13,293.

"Losses in enrollment are especially challenging because, while funding decreases, many of the district's fixed costs remain the same," Columbus County Schools Superintendent Eddie Beck said, according to the Border Belt Independent. "We still operate the same schools, run the same buses, and provide the same essential services—just with fewer dollars to support them."

Charter schools have mushroomed, with more than 200 operating statewide. Bladen now educates 670 students, which is more than double what it had in 2018. The Paul R. Brown Leadership Academy in Bladen County also doubled its roster since 2016. Over in Robeson County, Old Main Stream Academy ballooned from 204 students in 2022 to 534 this year.

Registered home schools in Robeson County jumped from 911 in 2022 to 1,059 in 2025, according to the N.C. Department of Administration. In Scotland County, that number climbed from 160 to 231 during the same stretch.

Eddie Beck said continued losses in funding are becoming "increasingly critical." He added that annual funding swings make sustaining long-term plans tougher, even when budgeting carefully.