Enrollment
143
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370021003474
Ashe County Early College High — West Jefferson, NC
Federal NCES profile for Ashe County Early College High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 71
📋 Attendance 93
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: Ashe 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)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+65% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.2%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ashe County Early College High 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
Ashe County Early College High reports 143 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 5.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 27:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 65% 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 70% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 45.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 32% below the North Carolina average and 13% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 143 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 2.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ashe County Schools spends $14,155 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 15.5% from local sources (property taxes), 64.8% from the state, and 19.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 Ashe County Early College High 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 | 27:1 | ▲ 65% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.2% | ▼ 32% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 143 | top 7% | — | — |
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
45.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 32% 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
27:1
students per teacher
— 65% above state mean
Top 98% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
2.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$14,155
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 143 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 143 Top 7% in North Carolina — larger than 93% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 5.0
Students per teacher 27:1 +65% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 45.2% -32% vs state
NCES ID 370021003474
Student demographics
White 74.8%
Hispanic or Latino 21.0%
Two or More 2.1%
Asian 1.4%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: White at 74.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 143:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 2.8%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ashe County Schools, which includes Ashe County Early College High.
$14,155
Per student
+9%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 15.5%
State 64.8%
Federal 19.7%
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
- 767
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 566
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 451
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 401
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Enrollment
- 348
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
Similar high schools in West Jefferson
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 Ashe County Early College High
How many students attend Ashe County Early College High?
Ashe County Early College High has 143 students enrolled. It is a high school in West Jefferson, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ashe County Early College High?
The student-teacher ratio at Ashe County Early College High is 27:1, which is 65% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 70% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ashe County Early College High?
45.2% of students at Ashe County Early College High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ashe County Early College High?
The largest demographic group at Ashe County Early College High is White at 74.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in West Jefferson, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ashe County Early College High?
Ashe County Early College High has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) based on 5 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.