Enrollment
364
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Buxton, NC
Cape Hatteras Secondary School
Federal NCES profile for Cape Hatteras Secondary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370111000454
👥 S:T ratio 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 64
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cape Hatteras Secondary School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of North Carolina schools.
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.1:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 44.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 364
- students enrolled
Cape Hatteras Secondary School has class sizes smaller than 94% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Dare County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370111000454 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.1:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cape Hatteras Secondary School compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cape Hatteras Secondary School
Cape Hatteras Secondary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Buxton, North Carolina, enrolling 364 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.1:1, Cape Hatteras Secondary School is leaner than roughly 94% of North Carolina schools and 36% 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 44.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 364 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 289 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #96.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 40/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 182 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 47.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Buxton's public schools, it stands alongside Cape Hatteras Elementary School (284 students): Cape Hatteras Secondary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.1:1 vs 10.5:1).
Dare County Schools also operates First Flight High School (874 students) and Manteo Elementary School (636 students) alongside Cape Hatteras Secondary School.
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 Cape Hatteras Secondary School compares
Cape Hatteras Secondary School 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 | 10.1:1 | ▼ 36% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.4% | ▼ 33% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 364 | top 69% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.1:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
364
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 33% 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
10.1:1
students per teacher
- 36% below state mean
Top 6% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
47.0%
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
$13,375
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 182 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
39
in-school suspensions + 23 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
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 74.5%
Hispanic or Latino 21.2%
Two or More 4.1%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 74.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.8, Cape Hatteras Secondary School is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 4
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dare County Schools, which includes Cape Hatteras Secondary School.
$13,375
Per student
+11%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.1%
State 51.5%
Federal 12.4%
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 Cape Hatteras Secondary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Flight High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Manteo Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| First Flight Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Manteo High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kitty Hawk Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cape Hatteras Secondary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 874
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 636
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 604
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 487
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar other schools in Buxton
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 (~364 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cape Hatteras Secondary School's federal record.
- Compare Cape Hatteras Secondary School against another school. Compare schools
- Dare 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 Cape Hatteras Secondary School
How many students attend Cape Hatteras Secondary School?
Cape Hatteras Secondary School has 364 students enrolled. It is a public school in Buxton, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cape Hatteras Secondary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cape Hatteras Secondary School is 10.1:1, which is 36% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 36% 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 Cape Hatteras Secondary School?
44.4% of students at Cape Hatteras Secondary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cape Hatteras Secondary School?
The largest demographic group at Cape Hatteras Secondary School is White at 74.5% of enrollment, in Buxton, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cape Hatteras Secondary School?
Cape Hatteras Secondary School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Cape Hatteras Secondary School a good school?
Cape Hatteras Secondary School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of 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 Dare County Schools?
Besides Cape Hatteras Secondary School, Dare County Schools also operates First Flight High School (874 students), Manteo Elementary School (636 students), and First Flight Middle School (604 students). See the Dare 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.