Enrollment
656
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Ayden, NC
Ayden Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Ayden Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370001201489
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ayden Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Ayden · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.6:1
- students per teacher
- 99.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Ayden Elementary has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ayden Elementary ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Ayden, NC.
School address
District: Pitt County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370001201489 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ayden Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ayden Elementary
Ayden Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Ayden, North Carolina, enrolling 656 students.
At 14.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the North Carolina median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 99.5% of students qualify for free meals, 51% above the North Carolina average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 656 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 492 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #9, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (45%) and White (35%) (diversity index 66/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 328 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
16.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 21.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Pitt County Schools also operates D H Conley High (1,757 students) and South Central (1,738 students) alongside Ayden Elementary.
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 Ayden Elementary compares
Ayden Elementary 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 | 14.6:1 | ▼ 8% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.5% | ▲ 51% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 656 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.6:1
Leaner classes than 51% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
656
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% above the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.6:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 43% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
16.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,733
per pupil, district-wide
- below North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 328 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 51 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.9 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
African American 44.8%
White 35.1%
Hispanic or Latino 11.6%
Two or More 8.2%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 44.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.6, Ayden Elementary is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pitt County Schools, which includes Ayden Elementary.
$11,733
Per student
-2%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.2%
State 58.7%
Federal 21.1%
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 Ayden Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| D H Conley High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Central | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Junius H Rose High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hope Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chicod | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ayden Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,757
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,738
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,568
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 952
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 902
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar other 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 (~656 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ayden Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Ayden Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Pitt 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 Ayden Elementary
How many students attend Ayden Elementary?
Ayden Elementary has 656 students enrolled. It is a public school in Ayden, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ayden Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Ayden Elementary is 14.6:1, which is 8% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 7% 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 Ayden Elementary?
99.5% of students at Ayden Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ayden Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Ayden Elementary is African American at 44.8% of enrollment, in Ayden, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ayden Elementary?
Ayden Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Ayden Elementary rank among public schools in Ayden?
By Resource Investment Index, Ayden Elementary ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Ayden, 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 Ayden on the city page.
Is Ayden Elementary a good school?
Ayden Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. 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 Pitt County Schools?
Besides Ayden Elementary, Pitt County Schools also operates D H Conley High (1,757 students), South Central (1,738 students), and Junius H Rose High (1,568 students). See the Pitt 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.