Enrollment
128
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Sugar Grove, NC
Bethel Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Bethel Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370483001934
👥 S:T ratio 70
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 74
📋 Attendance 12
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bethel Elementary earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of North Carolina schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Carolina schools.
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 7.5:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 46.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 128
- students enrolled
Bethel Elementary has class sizes smaller than 97% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Watauga County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370483001934 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.5:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-53% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bethel Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bethel Elementary
Bethel Elementary is a small combined-grade school in Sugar Grove, North Carolina, enrolling 128 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.5:1, Bethel Elementary is leaner than roughly 97% of North Carolina schools and 53% 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 46.3% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 94% of North Carolina schools, with 128 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 47 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #21.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 19/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 128 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Sugar Grove's public schools, it stands alongside Valle Crucis Elementary (345 students): Bethel Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (7.5:1 vs 11.5:1).
Watauga County Schools also operates Watauga High (1,289 students) and Hardin Park Elementary (854 students) alongside Bethel 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 Bethel Elementary compares
Bethel 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 | 7.5:1 | ▼ 53% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.3% | ▼ 30% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 128 | top 94% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.5:1
Leaner classes than 96% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
128
Bigger than 13% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
7.5:1
students per teacher
- 53% below state mean
Top 3% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
35.2%
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
$12,698
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 128 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.8 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 89.8%
Two or More 7.0%
Hispanic or Latino 3.1%
Largest group: White at 89.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.8, Bethel 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 Watauga County Schools, which includes Bethel Elementary.
$12,698
Per student
+6%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.9%
State 56.5%
Federal 15.6%
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 Bethel Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watauga High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hardin Park Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Parkway Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Blowing Rock Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Valle Crucis Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bethel Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,289
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 854
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 610
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 409
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 345
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar other schools in Sugar Grove
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~128 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~7.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bethel Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Bethel Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Watauga 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 Bethel Elementary
How many students attend Bethel Elementary?
Bethel Elementary has 128 students enrolled. It is a public school in Sugar Grove, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bethel Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bethel Elementary is 7.5:1, which is 53% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 52% 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 Bethel Elementary?
46.3% of students at Bethel Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bethel Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bethel Elementary is White at 89.8% of enrollment, in Sugar Grove, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bethel Elementary?
Bethel Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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 Bethel Elementary a good school?
Bethel Elementary earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% 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 Watauga County Schools?
Besides Bethel Elementary, Watauga County Schools also operates Watauga High (1,289 students), Hardin Park Elementary (854 students), and Parkway Elementary (610 students). See the Watauga 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.