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Waynesville, North Carolina - 15 schools
An equity score of 57/100 ranks Haywood County Schools #95 of 293 districts in North Carolina (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,690 per pupil, Haywood County Schools ranks #104 of 322 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (North Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
6,605
Total Enrollment
15
Schools
$12,690
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Haywood County Schools operates 15 public schools serving 6,605 students, placing it among the smaller districts in North Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 5 combined, 4 high, 3 middle, 3 elementary 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 Haywood County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,690 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 25.5% local, 54.0% state, and 20.5% 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 57/100, ranked #95 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 15 schools offering Advanced Placement (24 AP courses district-wide), a 368.5:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 29.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 84.8% White, 9.9% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Central Haywood High, with a diversity index of 39.2/100.
Its largest campus is Tuscola High, enrolling 873 students (13% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Central Haywood High, at 63 students, a 14x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Haywood County Schools school enrollment varies 14× across entities
Haywood County Schools school enrollment ranges from 63 students (lowest) to 873 students (highest), a spread of 810 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.
Haywood County Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 72.9% 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). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. 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.
Haywood County Schools student-counselor ratio is 369:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Haywood County Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 29.7% — 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 Haywood County Schools is typically wider than the Haywood County Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Haywood County Schools has 15 schools, including 4 high, 3 middle, 3 elementary, 5 combined. Total enrollment is 6,605 students.
How much does Haywood County Schools spend per student?
Haywood County Schools spends $12,690 per student. The district has an equity score of 57/100, ranking #95 in North Carolina.
What is the demographic composition of Haywood County Schools?
Haywood County Schools students are 84.8% White, 9.9% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% African American, 0.4% Asian, averaged across 15 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Haywood County Schools?
Haywood County Schools has an equity score of 57/100, ranking #95 out of 293 districts in North Carolina.