Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal
records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our
editorial standards & corrections policy, the
methodology behind these numbers, or
report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Hayesville, North Carolina - 4 schools
An equity score of 77/100 ranks Clay County Schools #27 of 293 districts in North Carolina (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,506 per pupil, Clay County Schools ranks #48 of 322 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (North Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,314
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$14,506
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Clay County Schools operates 4 public schools serving 1,314 students, placing it among the smallest districts in North Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Clay County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,506 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half 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 12.5% local, 65.8% state, and 21.7% 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 77/100, ranked #27 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 1 of 4 schools offering Advanced Placement (2 AP courses district-wide), a 330.5:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 25.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 84.2% White, 10.5% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Hayesville Middle, with a diversity index of 32.5/100.
Its largest campus is Hayesville Primary School, enrolling 375 students (28% of the district's total enrollment).
Hayesville Primary School accounts for 28.4% of all Clay County Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Clay County Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Clay County Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 55.6% 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 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.
Clay County Schools student-counselor ratio is 331:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Clay County Schools is typically wider than the Clay County Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Clay County Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 25.1% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within Clay County Schools is typically wider than the Clay County Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Clay County Schools has 4 schools, including 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 1,314 students.
How much does Clay County Schools spend per student?
Clay County Schools spends $14,506 per student. The district has an equity score of 77/100, ranking #27 in North Carolina.
What is the demographic composition of Clay County Schools?
Clay County Schools students are 84.2% White, 10.5% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% African American, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Clay County Schools?
Clay County Schools has an equity score of 77/100, ranking #27 out of 293 districts in North Carolina.