Enrollment
767
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · West Jefferson, NC
Ashe County High
Federal NCES profile for Ashe County High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370021002425
👥 S:T ratio 43
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ashe County High earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Carolina schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in West Jefferson · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.2:1
- students per teacher
- 47.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Ashe County High has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ashe County High ranks #2 of 3 public schools in West Jefferson, NC.
School address
District: Ashe County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370021002425 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
54.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.7%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ashe County High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ashe County High
Ashe County High is a mid-sized high school in West Jefferson, North Carolina, enrolling 767 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 47.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 767 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 434 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #144.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 27/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 10 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 256 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among West Jefferson's high schools, it stands alongside Ashe County Early College High (143 students): Ashe County High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.2:1 vs 28.6:1).
Ashe County Schools also operates Mountain View Elementary (566 students) and Westwood Elementary (451 students) alongside Ashe County High.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Ashe County High compares
Ashe County High on the metrics families compare, against North Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.2:1 | ▼ 10% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.7% | ▼ 28% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 767 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.2:1
Leaner classes than 55% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
767
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
47.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
14.2:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 37% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
40.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,780
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 256 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
83
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 84.6%
Hispanic or Latino 12.1%
Two or More 2.2%
African American 0.5%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 84.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.9, Ashe County High is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 10
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ashe County Schools, which includes Ashe County High.
$13,780
Per student
+15%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Ashe County High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain View Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Westwood Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ashe County Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Blue Ridge Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ashe County Early College High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ashe County High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 566
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 451
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 401
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 348
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 143
- Students per teacher
- 28.6:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
Similar high schools in West Jefferson
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~767 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ashe County High's federal record.
- Compare Ashe County High against another school. Compare schools
- Ashe County Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Ashe County High
How many students attend Ashe County High?
Ashe County High has 767 students enrolled. It is a high school in West Jefferson, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ashe County High?
The student-teacher ratio at Ashe County High is 14.2:1, which is 10% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ashe County High?
47.7% of students at Ashe County 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 High?
The largest demographic group at Ashe County High is White at 84.6% of enrollment, in West Jefferson, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ashe County High?
Ashe County High has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Ashe County High rank among public schools in West Jefferson?
By Resource Investment Index, Ashe County High ranks #2 of 3 public schools in West Jefferson, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in West Jefferson on the city page.
Is Ashe County High a good school?
Ashe County High earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Carolina schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Ashe County Schools?
Besides Ashe County High, Ashe County Schools also operates Mountain View Elementary (566 students), Westwood Elementary (451 students), and Ashe County Middle (401 students). See the Ashe County Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.