Enrollment
218
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370058002435
Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy — Hudson, NC
Federal NCES profile for Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 34
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 84
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: Caldwell 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)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.7%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy 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
Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy reports 218 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 13.0 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: 32.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 50% below the North Carolina average and 37% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 218 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 6.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Caldwell County Schools spends $12,314 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.5% from local sources (property taxes), 57.4% from the state, and 26.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), calculated from 5 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 Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy 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 | 32.7% | ▼ 50% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 218 | top 13% | — | — |
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
32.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 50% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
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
6.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$12,314
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 218 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 218 Top 13% in North Carolina — larger than 87% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 13.0
Students per teacher 16.5:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 32.7% -50% vs state
NCES ID 370058002435
Student demographics
White 79.4%
Hispanic or Latino 11.5%
Two or More 5.5%
African American 1.8%
Asian 1.8%
Largest group: White at 79.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 218:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 6.4%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Caldwell County Schools, which includes Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy.
$12,314
Per student
-6%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.5%
State 57.4%
Federal 26.1%
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
- 1,272
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Enrollment
- 818
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 665
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 647
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 634
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
Similar high schools in Hudson
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy
How many students attend Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy?
Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy has 218 students enrolled. It is a high school in Hudson, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy 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 Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy?
32.7% of students at Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy?
The largest demographic group at Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy is White at 79.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Hudson, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy?
Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) based on 5 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.