Education has evolved since the days when some Outer Banks kids paddled their skiffs to the one-room schoolhouse. Today there are more than 4,700 students attending 11 schools on the Outer Banks, 10 in Dare County and 1 on Ocracoke Island.
Higher education opportunities on the Outer Banks include a community college campus, College of the Albemarle, in Manteo. COA provides associate degrees, certificates, and diplomas, and many of the hours are transferable to other colleges. Some students make a 45-minute commute to Elizabeth City to attend that city’s College of the Albemarle campus or Elizabeth City State University. Other students commute over an hour and a half to attend Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, or over two-and-a-half hours to attend East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.
For children who are not school age or who need care after school, Outer Banks parents depend on a patchwork of day-care providers: grandparents, teenagers, and the neighborhood retiree who cares for one or several children in the home; licensed home providers who care for a number of children in their homes; after-school care services at local schools; or day-care centers that watch dozens of children in a more controlled and regulated setting. We cannot provide listings for grandparents, teenagers, and neighborhood retirees here, but we have provided information about area preschools, day-care facilities, and babysitting services.