Enrollment
377
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 370237000582
Benson Middle — Benson, NC
Federal NCES profile for Benson Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 62
📋 Attendance 0
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: Johnston County Public 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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benson Middle 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
Benson Middle reports 377 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 64.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 2% below the North Carolina average and 24% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 189 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 48.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Johnston County Public Schools spends $11,360 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 20.7% from local sources (property taxes), 62.2% from the state, and 17.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Benson Middle 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 | 16.5:1 | ▲ 1% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.4% | ▼ 2% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 377 | top 33% | — | — |
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
64.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 2% 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
16.5:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 70% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
48.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,360
per pupil, district-wide
— below North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 189 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
140
in-school suspensions + 78 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 37.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 57.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 377 Top 33% in North Carolina — larger than 67% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 16.5:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 64.4% -2% vs state
NCES ID 370237000582
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 43.5%
White 32.1%
African American 19.1%
Two or More 5.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 43.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 189:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 48.5%
In-school suspensions 140
Out-of-school suspensions 78
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Johnston County Public Schools, which includes Benson Middle.
$11,360
Per student
-13%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 20.7%
State 62.2%
Federal 17.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,187
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,929
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,889
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,563
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,548
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
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 Benson Middle
How many students attend Benson Middle?
Benson Middle has 377 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Benson, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benson Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Benson Middle is 16.5:1, which is 1% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Benson Middle?
64.4% of students at Benson Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benson Middle?
The largest demographic group at Benson Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 43.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Benson, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benson Middle?
Benson Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) based on 4 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.