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Murphy, North Carolina - 13 schools
An equity score of 83/100 ranks Cherokee County Schools #11 of 293 districts in North Carolina (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $15,950 per pupil, Cherokee County Schools ranks #30 of 322 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (North Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,146
Total Enrollment
13
Schools
$15,950
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Cherokee County Schools operates 13 public schools serving 3,146 students, placing it among the smaller districts in North Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 7 combined, 4 high, 2 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Cherokee County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,950 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 33 of 322 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending. See how North Carolina compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 20.4% local, 52.4% state, and 27.2% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 83/100, ranked #11 of 293 in North Carolina against a state average of 45, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 3 of 13 schools offering Advanced Placement (13 AP courses district-wide), a 233.8:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 42.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 84.1% White, 7.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.6% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Tri-County Early College High, with a diversity index of 43.5/100.
Its largest campus is Murphy Elementary, enrolling 467 students (16% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is The Oaks Academy, at 43 students, a 11x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Cherokee County Schools school enrollment varies 11× across entities
Cherokee County Schools school enrollment ranges from 43 students (lowest) to 467 students (highest), a spread of 424 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Cherokee County Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 79.5% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Cherokee County Schools student-counselor ratio is 234:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Cherokee County Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 42.9% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Cherokee County Schools has 13 schools, including 7 combined, 4 high, 2 middle. Total enrollment is 3,146 students.
How much does Cherokee County Schools spend per student?
Cherokee County Schools spends $15,950 per student. The district has an equity score of 83/100, ranking #11 in North Carolina.
What is the demographic composition of Cherokee County Schools?
Cherokee County Schools students are 84.1% White, 7.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.6% African American, 0.6% Asian, averaged across 13 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Cherokee County Schools?
Cherokee County Schools has an equity score of 83/100, ranking #11 out of 293 districts in North Carolina.