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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Salisbury, North Carolina - 33 schools
An equity score of 51/100 ranks Rowan-Salisbury Schools #120 of 297 districts in North Carolina (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,141 per pupil, Rowan-Salisbury Schools ranks #153 of 328 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (North Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Rowan-Salisbury Schools operates 33 public schools serving 18,225 students, placing it in the mid-size range in North Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 13 combined, 7 high, 7 middle, 6 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage 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 Rowan County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,141 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 328 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending. See how North Carolina compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 18.6% local, 60.4% state, and 21.0% 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 51/100, ranked #120 of 297 in North Carolina against a state average of 45, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 6 of 33 schools offering Advanced Placement (62 AP courses district-wide), a 463:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 35.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 46.3% White, 24.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Dole Elementary, with a diversity index of 72.0/100.
Its largest campus is Carson High, enrolling 1,063 students (6% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Henderson High, at 71 students, a 15x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Rowan-Salisbury Schools school enrollment ranges from 71 students (lowest) to 1,063 students (highest), a spread of 992 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.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
The reported share sits between 62.5% and 75%, above a simple majority but below the highest descriptive band used here. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
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.
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.
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 33 schools in Rowan-Salisbury Schools.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Rowan-Salisbury Schools's schools, about the same as the North Carolina average of 56.1.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
| School | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| Carson High | 1,063 |
| West Rowan High | 988 |
| East Rowan High | 986 |
| South Rowan High | 932 |
| Salisbury High | 930 |
| Erwin Middle | 763 |
| West Rowan Middle | 707 |
| North Rowan Middle | 649 |
| Southeast Middle | 628 |
| Landis Elementary | 613 |
| West Rowan Elementary | 611 |
| China Grove Elementary | 592 |
| Granite Quarry Elementary | 586 |
| Knollwood Elementary | 585 |
| China Grove Middle | 572 |
| North Rowan High | 555 |
| Koontz Elementary | 554 |
| Millbridge Elementary | 547 |
| Knox Middle | 514 |
| Isenberg Elementary | 509 |
| Rockwell Elementary | 502 |
| Hurley Elementary | 466 |
| Corriher Lipe Middle | 457 |
| Shive Elementary | 413 |
| North Rowan Elementary | 405 |
| Dole Elementary | 388 |
| Bostian Elementary | 342 |
| Mt Ulla Elementary | 281 |
| Morgan Elementary | 275 |
| Summit Virtual Academy | 241 |
| Overton Elementary | 237 |
| Rowan Co Early College | 235 |
| Henderson High | 71 |
The North Carolina districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Davidson County Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Wayne County Public Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Harnett County Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Iredell-Statesville Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Catawba County Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
Comparisons are relative to Rowan-Salisbury Schools's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Wake County Schools →Rowan-Salisbury Schools has 33 schools, including 7 high, 7 middle, 6 elementary, 13 combined. Total enrollment is 18,225 students.
Rowan-Salisbury Schools spends $12,141 per student. The district has an equity score of 51/100, ranking #120 in North Carolina.
Rowan-Salisbury Schools students are 46.3% White, 24.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% African American, 0.9% Asian, averaged across 33 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Rowan-Salisbury Schools has an equity score of 51/100, ranking #120 out of 297 districts in North Carolina.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.