Enrollment
159
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Banner Elk, NC
Banner Elk Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Banner Elk Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370030000082
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Banner Elk Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of North Carolina schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Carolina schools.
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.4:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 41.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 159
- students enrolled
Banner Elk Elementary has class sizes smaller than 90% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Avery County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370030000082 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Banner Elk Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Banner Elk Elementary
Banner Elk Elementary is a small combined-grade school in Banner Elk, North Carolina, enrolling 159 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.4:1, Banner Elk Elementary is leaner than roughly 90% of North Carolina schools and 28% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 41.5% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 92% of North Carolina schools, with 159 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 73 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #47.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 398 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
15.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Avery County Schools spends $15,311 per pupil, 27% above the North Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 18.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Avery County Schools also operates Avery County High (542 students) and Newland Elementary (214 students) alongside Banner Elk 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 Banner Elk Elementary compares
Banner Elk 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 | 11.4:1 | ▼ 28% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.5% | ▼ 37% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 159 | top 92% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.4:1
Leaner classes than 80% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
159
Bigger than 15% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% 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
11.4:1
students per teacher
- 28% below state mean
Top 10% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
15.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$15,311
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
Counselors0.4 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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 87.4%
Hispanic or Latino 8.8%
Asian 2.5%
African American 1.3%
Largest group: White at 87.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.8, Banner Elk Elementary is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Avery County Schools, which includes Banner Elk Elementary.
$15,311
Per student
+27%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.0%
State 50.1%
Federal 18.9%
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.
How Banner Elk Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avery County High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Newland Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cranberry Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Freedom Trail Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Crossnore Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Banner Elk Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 542
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 214
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 184
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
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 (~159 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Banner Elk Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Banner Elk Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Avery 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 Banner Elk Elementary
How many students attend Banner Elk Elementary?
Banner Elk Elementary has 159 students enrolled. It is a public school in Banner Elk, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Banner Elk Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Banner Elk Elementary is 11.4:1, which is 28% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 27% 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 Banner Elk Elementary?
41.5% of students at Banner Elk Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Banner Elk Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Banner Elk Elementary is White at 87.4% of enrollment, in Banner Elk, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Banner Elk Elementary?
Banner Elk 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).
Is Banner Elk Elementary a good school?
Banner Elk Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of North Carolina schools. 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 Avery County Schools?
Besides Banner Elk Elementary, Avery County Schools also operates Avery County High (542 students), Newland Elementary (214 students), and Cranberry Middle (202 students). See the Avery 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.