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.
Sylva, North Carolina - 9 schools
An equity score of 63/100 ranks Jackson County Public Schools #77 of 293 districts in North Carolina (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,534 per pupil, Jackson County Public Schools ranks #76 of 322 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (North Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,557
Total Enrollment
9
Schools
$13,534
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Jackson County Public Schools operates 9 public schools serving 3,557 students, placing it among the smaller districts in North Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 7 combined, 2 high 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 Jackson County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,534 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 23.8% local, 51.8% state, and 24.5% 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 63/100, ranked #77 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 9 schools offering Advanced Placement (11 AP courses district-wide), a 225.2:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 44.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 60.3% White, 24.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.0% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Smokey Mountain Elementary, with a diversity index of 71.8/100.
Its largest campus is Smoky Mountain High School, enrolling 881 students (26% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Jackson Community School, at 50 students, a 18x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Smoky Mountain High School accounts for 24.8% of all Jackson County Public Schools student enrollment
That concentration means Jackson County Public Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. 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.
Jackson County Public Schools school enrollment varies 18× across entities
Jackson County Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 50 students (lowest) to 881 students (highest), a spread of 831 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.
Jackson County Public Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 62.2% 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.
Jackson County Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 225:1 — 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.
Jackson County Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 44.6% — 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.
Comparisons are relative to Jackson County Public Schools's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in North Carolina
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
How many schools are in Jackson County Public Schools?
Jackson County Public Schools has 9 schools, including 2 high, 7 combined. Total enrollment is 3,557 students.
How much does Jackson County Public Schools spend per student?
Jackson County Public Schools spends $13,534 per student. The district has an equity score of 63/100, ranking #77 in North Carolina.
What is the demographic composition of Jackson County Public Schools?
Jackson County Public Schools students are 60.3% White, 24.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.0% African American, 1.0% Asian, averaged across 9 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Jackson County Public Schools?
Jackson County Public Schools has an equity score of 63/100, ranking #77 out of 293 districts in North Carolina.