Enrollment
567
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 370046503523 Charter school
Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls — Wendell, NC
Federal NCES profile for Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 11/100.
👥 Class size 2
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 11
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: Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls · 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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.6:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls 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
Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls reports 567 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 24.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 50% 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 55% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 37.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 43% below the North Carolina average and 27% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 567 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 35.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls spends $9,709 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.0% from local sources (property taxes), 61.8% from the state, and 11.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 11/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls 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 | 24.6:1 | ▲ 50% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.8% | ▼ 43% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 567 | top 61% | — | — |
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
37.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 43% 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
24.6:1
students per teacher
— 50% above state mean
Top 97% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
35.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$9,709
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 567 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 567 Top 61% in North Carolina — larger than 39% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 24.6:1 +50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 37.8% -43% vs state
NCES ID 370046503523
Student demographics
African American 32.6%
Hispanic or Latino 30.2%
White 25.7%
Two or More 9.2%
Asian 2.3%
Largest group: African American at 32.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 567:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 35.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls, which includes Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls.
$9,709
Per student
-26%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-50%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.0%
State 61.8%
Federal 11.2%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Wendell
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) 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 Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls
How many students attend Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls?
Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls has 567 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Wendell, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls?
The student-teacher ratio at Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls is 24.6:1, which is 50% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 55% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls?
37.8% of students at Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls?
The largest demographic group at Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls is African American at 32.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Wendell, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls?
Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls has a Resource Investment Index of 11/100 (F) based on 4 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.