Enrollment
917
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370472003214
Alston Ridge Elementary — Cary, NC
Federal NCES profile for Alston Ridge Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 Attendance 56
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: Wake County Schools · 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)
70.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-83% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alston Ridge Elementary 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
Alston Ridge Elementary reports 917 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 70.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% below the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 11.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 83% below the North Carolina average and 78% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 459 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Wake County Schools spends $14,074 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.9% from local sources (property taxes), 54.5% from the state, and 16.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Alston Ridge Elementary 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 | 15:1 | ▼ 9% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.3% | ▼ 83% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 917 | top 88% | — | — |
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
11.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 83% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15:1
students per teacher
— 9% below state mean
Top 49% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
17.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$14,074
per pupil, district-wide
— above North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 459 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 917 Top 88% in North Carolina — larger than 12% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 70.0
Students per teacher 15:1 -9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 11.3% -83% vs state
NCES ID 370472003214
Student demographics
Asian 54.6%
White 18.6%
African American 13.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.8%
Two or More 4.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Asian at 54.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 459:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.6%
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wake County Schools, which includes Alston Ridge Elementary.
$14,074
Per student
+8%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.9%
State 54.5%
Federal 16.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,748
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 2,643
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,609
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,498
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,449
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
Similar other schools in Cary
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Triangle Math and Science Academy
Standard public school
1,904 students 30.4:1 students per teacher
Hortons Creek Elementary
Standard public school
739 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Weatherstone Elementary
Standard public school
730 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Highcroft Elementary
Standard public school
698 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Adams Elementary
Standard public school
655 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
Farmington Woods Elementary
Standard public school
648 students 13.5:1 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 Alston Ridge Elementary
How many students attend Alston Ridge Elementary?
Alston Ridge Elementary has 917 students enrolled. It is a other school in Cary, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alston Ridge Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Alston Ridge Elementary is 15:1, which is 9% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alston Ridge Elementary?
11.3% of students at Alston Ridge Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alston Ridge Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Alston Ridge Elementary is Asian at 54.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Cary, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alston Ridge Elementary?
Alston Ridge Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.