Enrollment
497
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 370162000694
Bessemer City Middle — Bessemer City, NC
Federal NCES profile for Bessemer City Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 23
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 8
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: Gaston County 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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.2:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bessemer City 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
Bessemer City Middle reports 497 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 21% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 99.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 51% above the North Carolina average and 92% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 313 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Gaston County Schools spends $11,856 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.3% from local sources (property taxes), 64.3% from the state, and 19.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), 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 Bessemer City 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 | 19.2:1 | ▲ 17% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.4% | ▲ 51% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 497 | top 51% | — | — |
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
99.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 51% above 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
19.2:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 89% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
36.6%
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
$11,856
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
Counselors1.6 FTE
Per 313 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
89
in-school suspensions + 175 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 53.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 497 Top 51% in North Carolina — larger than 49% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 19.2:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 99.4% +51% vs state
NCES ID 370162000694
Student demographics
White 41.2%
African American 27.4%
Hispanic or Latino 23.7%
Two or More 7.0%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 41.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.6
Students per counselor 313:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.6%
In-school suspensions 89
Out-of-school suspensions 175
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gaston County Schools, which includes Bessemer City Middle.
$11,856
Per student
-9%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.3%
State 64.3%
Federal 19.4%
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
- 1,386
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,165
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,133
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Enrollment
- 1,061
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 989
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
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 Bessemer City Middle
How many students attend Bessemer City Middle?
Bessemer City Middle has 497 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Bessemer City, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bessemer City Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Bessemer City Middle is 19.2:1, which is 17% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 21% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bessemer City Middle?
99.4% of students at Bessemer City Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bessemer City Middle?
The largest demographic group at Bessemer City Middle is White at 41.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bessemer City, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bessemer City Middle?
Bessemer City Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) 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.