Enrollment
291
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Vale, NC
Banoak Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Banoak Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370069000275
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Banoak Elementary earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Vale · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.3:1
- students per teacher
- 52.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Banoak Elementary has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Banoak Elementary ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Vale, NC.
School address
District: Catawba County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370069000275 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.2%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Banoak Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Banoak Elementary
Banoak Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Vale, North Carolina, enrolling 291 students.
At 15.3:1, 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 runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 52.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 291 puts it in the smaller 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 239 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #137.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and Hispanic or Latino (9%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 291 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 22.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Catawba County Schools also operates Saint Stephens High (1,268 students) and Bandys High (935 students) alongside Banoak 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 Banoak Elementary compares
Banoak 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 | 15.3:1 | ▼ 3% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.2% | ▼ 21% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 291 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
291
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 21% 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
15.3:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 53% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
30.2%
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
$11,517
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 291 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.2 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 79.0%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
Two or More 7.6%
Asian 3.1%
African American 1.7%
Largest group: White at 79.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.1, Banoak 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 Catawba County Schools, which includes Banoak Elementary.
$11,517
Per student
-4%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.3%
State 55.4%
Federal 22.2%
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 Banoak Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Stephens High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bandys High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fred T Foard High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Maiden High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bunker Hill High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Banoak Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,268
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 935
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 930
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 852
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 845
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar elementary 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 (~291 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Banoak Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Banoak Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Catawba 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 Banoak Elementary
How many students attend Banoak Elementary?
Banoak Elementary has 291 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Vale, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Banoak Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Banoak Elementary is 15.3:1, which is 3% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 3% 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 Banoak Elementary?
52.2% of students at Banoak Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Banoak Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Banoak Elementary is White at 79.0% of enrollment, in Vale, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Banoak Elementary?
Banoak Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical 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 Banoak Elementary rank among public schools in Vale?
By Resource Investment Index, Banoak Elementary ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Vale, 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 Vale on the city page.
Is Banoak Elementary a good school?
Banoak Elementary earns 44/100 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 Catawba County Schools?
Besides Banoak Elementary, Catawba County Schools also operates Saint Stephens High (1,268 students), Bandys High (935 students), and Fred T Foard High (930 students). See the Catawba 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.