Enrollment
960
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370010302511 Charter school
Alpha Academy — Fayetteville, NC
Federal NCES profile for Alpha Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 19/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 26
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Alpha Academy · North Carolina
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.2:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+60% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.6%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alpha Academy compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Alpha Academy reports 960 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 43.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 26.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 60% above the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 65% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 17% below the North Carolina average and 5% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 29.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Alpha Academy spends $11,496 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 17.2% from local sources (property taxes), 69.8% from the state, and 12.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (F), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Alpha Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against North Carolina state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 26.2:1 | ▲ 60% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.6% | ▼ 17% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 960 | top 89% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
54.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 17% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
26.2:1
students per teacher
— 60% above state mean
Top 97% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
29.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,496
per pupil, district-wide
— below North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 40 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 960 Top 89% in North Carolina — larger than 11% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 43.0
Students per teacher 26.2:1 +60% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.6% -17% vs state
NCES ID 370010302511
Student demographics
African American 53.0%
Hispanic or Latino 21.1%
White 11.4%
Two or More 9.6%
Asian 2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: African American at 53.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 29.5%
In-school suspensions 16
Out-of-school suspensions 40
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alpha Academy, which includes Alpha Academy.
$11,496
Per student
-12%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 17.2%
State 69.8%
Federal 12.9%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Similar other schools in Fayetteville
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
The Capitol Encore Academy
Standard public school
853 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Bill Hefner Elementary
Standard public school
712 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
New Century International Elementary
Standard public school
686 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
E E Miller Elementary
Standard public school
656 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Lake Rim Elementary
Standard public school
656 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Alderman Road Elementary
Standard public school
655 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Alpha Academy
How many students attend Alpha Academy?
Alpha Academy has 960 students enrolled. It is a other school in Fayetteville, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alpha Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Alpha Academy is 26.2:1, which is 60% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 65% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alpha Academy?
54.6% of students at Alpha Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alpha Academy?
The largest demographic group at Alpha Academy is African American at 53.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Fayetteville, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alpha Academy?
Alpha Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.