Enrollment
202
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Bakersville, NC
Bowman Middle
Federal NCES profile for Bowman Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370300001292
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bowman Middle earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Bakersville · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.4:1
- students per teacher
- 55.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Bowman Middle has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bowman Middle ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Bakersville, NC.
School address
District: Mitchell County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370300001292 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.0%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bowman Middle compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bowman Middle
Bowman Middle is a higher-need, small elementary school in Bakersville, North Carolina, enrolling 202 students.
At 14.4:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 55.0% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 202 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 125 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #87.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 404 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 17.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Bakersville's elementary schools, it stands alongside Gouge Elementary (144 students): Bowman Middle is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.4:1 vs 7.6:1).
Mitchell County Schools also operates Mitchell High (482 students) and Greenlee Primary (246 students) alongside Bowman Middle.
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 Bowman Middle compares
Bowman Middle 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 | 14.4:1 | ▼ 9% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.0% | ▼ 17% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 202 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.4:1
Leaner classes than 53% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
202
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
55.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% 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
14.4:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 41% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.8%
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
$13,939
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.8 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mitchell County Schools, which includes Bowman Middle.
$13,939
Per student
+16%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.5%
State 64.2%
Federal 17.4%
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.
How Bowman Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Greenlee Primary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Harris Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Deyton Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gouge Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bowman Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 482
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 246
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 236
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 219
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 144
- Students per teacher
- 7.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar elementary schools in Bakersville
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~202 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bowman Middle's federal record.
- Compare Bowman Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Mitchell 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 Bowman Middle
How many students attend Bowman Middle?
Bowman Middle has 202 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Bakersville, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bowman Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Bowman Middle is 14.4:1, which is 9% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 8% 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 Bowman Middle?
55.0% of students at Bowman Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bowman Middle?
Bowman Middle 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 Bowman Middle rank among public schools in Bakersville?
By Resource Investment Index, Bowman Middle ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Bakersville, 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 Bakersville on the city page.
Is Bowman Middle a good school?
Bowman Middle 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 Mitchell County Schools?
Besides Bowman Middle, Mitchell County Schools also operates Mitchell High (482 students), Greenlee Primary (246 students), and Harris Middle (236 students). See the Mitchell 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.