Enrollment
387
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370058002880
Caldwell Early College — Hudson, NC
Federal NCES profile for Caldwell Early College, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 7
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 70
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)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.3:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Caldwell Early College 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 Early College reports 387 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 42% 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 47% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 36.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 45% below the North Carolina average and 30% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 387 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.1% 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 36/100 (F), 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 Early College 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 | 23.3:1 | ▲ 42% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.4% | ▼ 45% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 387 | top 34% | — | — |
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
36.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 45% 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
23.3:1
students per teacher
— 42% above state mean
Top 96% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
12.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
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 387 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 387 Top 34% in North Carolina — larger than 66% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 23.3:1 +42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 36.4% -45% vs state
NCES ID 370058002880
Student demographics
White 73.6%
Hispanic or Latino 17.6%
Two or More 4.7%
African American 2.1%
Asian 2.1%
Largest group: White at 73.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 387:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.1%
In-school suspensions 12
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Caldwell County Schools, which includes Caldwell Early College.
$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 Early College
How many students attend Caldwell Early College?
Caldwell Early College has 387 students enrolled. It is a high school in Hudson, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Caldwell Early College?
The student-teacher ratio at Caldwell Early College is 23.3:1, which is 42% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 47% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Caldwell Early College?
36.4% of students at Caldwell Early College are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Caldwell Early College?
The largest demographic group at Caldwell Early College is White at 73.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Hudson, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Caldwell Early College?
Caldwell Early College has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) 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.