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.
Marion, North Carolina - 15 schools
An equity score of 64/100 ranks Mcdowell County Schools #69 of 293 districts in North Carolina (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,857 per pupil, Mcdowell County Schools ranks #99 of 322 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (North Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
5,776
Total Enrollment
15
Schools
$12,857
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Mcdowell County Schools operates 15 public schools serving 5,776 students, placing it among the smaller districts in North Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 9 combined, 3 high, 3 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 Mcdowell County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,857 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 16.9% local, 58.7% state, and 24.4% 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 64/100, ranked #69 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 15 schools offering Advanced Placement (12 AP courses district-wide), a 281.7:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 39.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 74.2% White, 16.6% Hispanic or Latino, 2.5% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Eastfield Global Magnet School, with a diversity index of 53.8/100.
Its largest campus is Mcdowell High School, enrolling 1,379 students (24% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Mcdowell Virtual Academy, at 140 students, a 10x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Mcdowell High School accounts for 23.9% of all Mcdowell County Schools student enrollment
That concentration means Mcdowell County 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.
Mcdowell County Schools school enrollment varies 9.8× across entities
Mcdowell County Schools school enrollment ranges from 140 students (lowest) to 1,379 students (highest), a spread of 1,239 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.
Mcdowell County Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 60.5% 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 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.
Mcdowell County Schools student-counselor ratio is 282:1 — 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 Mcdowell County Schools is typically wider than the Mcdowell County Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Mcdowell County Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 39.1% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Mcdowell County Schools has 15 schools, including 3 high, 3 middle, 9 combined. Total enrollment is 5,776 students.
How much does Mcdowell County Schools spend per student?
Mcdowell County Schools spends $12,857 per student. The district has an equity score of 64/100, ranking #69 in North Carolina.
What is the demographic composition of Mcdowell County Schools?
Mcdowell County Schools students are 74.2% White, 16.6% Hispanic or Latino, 2.5% African American, 0.7% Asian, averaged across 15 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Mcdowell County Schools?
Mcdowell County Schools has an equity score of 64/100, ranking #69 out of 293 districts in North Carolina.