Tools Homepage › School District Guides › North Carolina › Forsyth County › Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools
Public school district · City: Large
North Carolina · Forsyth County

Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools

52,430 students · 81 schools · 14.2:1 ratio · grades PreK–12 · #4 of 334 in North Carolina

Students
52,430
Schools
81
Teachers (FTE)
3,689
Student–Teacher
14.2:1
County
Forsyth
Grades
PreK–12
OverviewEnrollmentDemographicsStaffingFundingPerformanceAccreditationCompareFull data
Overview

About Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools

Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools is a public school system serving Forsyth County, North Carolina, based in Winston Salem. It serves 52,430 students across 81 schools spanning PreK–12, and is classified as a city: large district. By enrollment it is the #4 largest of North Carolina’s 334 school systems.

Phone3367272292
Address475 Corporate Square Drive, Winston Salem, NC 27105
CountyForsyth County
Enrollment & schools

Size and structure

Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools enrolls 52,430 students in 81 schools — an average of about 647 students per school. It serves grades PreK–12 and ranks #4 of 334 statewide by enrollment.

Students
52,430
#4 of 334 in North Carolina
Schools
81
~647 students each
Grade span
PreK–12
City: Large
Students & demographics

Who the district serves

Student race and ethnicity in Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools, from the NCES Common Core of Data (52,430 students reported):

White
32%
Black
29%
Hispanic
31%
Asian
3%
Two or more
6%
Amer. Indian
0%
Pacific Isl.
0%

For economically-disadvantaged, English-learner, and special-education shares, plus school-by-school detail, see the federal sources in the full-data section.

Staffing & support

Teachers & staff

Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools employs about 3,689 full-time-equivalent teachers for a student–teacher ratio of 14.2:1 — below the North Carolina average of about 16.0:1, meaning comparatively smaller classes.

Student–teacher ratio
14.2:1
state avg ~16.0:1
Teachers (FTE)
3,689
classroom teachers

Counselor and librarian/media counts are not published at the district level in the current NCES release; see the federal full-data links for staffing detail.

Funding

How North Carolina funds schools

North Carolina funds its districts chiefly through state allotments driven by average daily membership: position allotments pay for guaranteed staff such as classroom teachers (the single largest item), while dollar allotments provide fixed per-pupil amounts, with added allotments for children with disabilities, limited-English, at-risk and low-wealth or small counties. North Carolina is unusual in that the state funds the bulk of operating costs (roughly two-thirds of school revenue) while counties mainly fund buildings and local salary supplements.

District-level per-pupil spending and the local/state/federal revenue split for Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools are published in the federal school-finance files — see the full-data links below for the current figures.

Accountability

Report card & state results

North Carolina assigns A–F School Performance Grades and publishes them through the NC School Report Cards, combining achievement and growth with graduation, test results and demographics. Look up Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools on the NC School Report Cards.

Accreditation

Accreditation status

North Carolina does not require statewide accreditation of its public districts; accreditation is voluntary, and districts that pursue it generally work with Cognia, the de facto K-12 accreditor. Look up Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools in the free Cognia registry.

How it compares

Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools vs. North Carolina

Enrollment rank
#4
of 334 districts
Ratio
14.2:1
state avg ~16.0:1
Locale
City: Large
Forsyth County

See every North Carolina district side by side in the North Carolina directory.

Go deeper

Look up Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools’s full data

These official sources carry the district-level detail — finances, discipline, equity, test scores, boundaries. Direct links for this district (via its NCES ID):

Data & sources

About this data

Enrollment, demographics, staffing, locale and contact details reflect the NCES Common Core of Data (2024–25); funding context from the North Carolina General Assembly (the allotment system) and NEA Rankings & Estimates 2026. Figures are the latest available and may lag the current school year. This page is informational, not an official district record, and not affiliated with or endorsed by Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools. NCES District ID (LEAID): 3701500. Confirm current details with the district and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.