Enrollment
383
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Carolina Beach, NC
Carolina Beach Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Carolina Beach Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370333001368
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Carolina Beach Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Carolina schools.
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 29.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 383
- students enrolled
Carolina Beach Elementary has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: New Hanover County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370333001368 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.2%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carolina Beach Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Carolina Beach Elementary
Carolina Beach Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, enrolling 383 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 29.2% free-meal eligibility runs 56% below the North Carolina average.
Enrollment of 383 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 171 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #74.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 17/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 383 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
New Hanover County Schools also operates Emsley a Laney High (2,243 students) and John T Hoggard High (2,082 students) alongside Carolina Beach Elementary.
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 Carolina Beach Elementary compares
Carolina Beach Elementary 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 | 13.7:1 | ▼ 13% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.2% | ▼ 56% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 383 | top 66% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
383
Bigger than 45% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 31% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
19.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,724
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 383 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 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.
Student demographics
White 91.1%
Hispanic or Latino 4.7%
Two or More 2.1%
Asian 0.8%
African American 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 91.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.7, Carolina Beach Elementary is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for New Hanover County Schools, which includes Carolina Beach Elementary.
$13,724
Per student
+14%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.4%
State 51.7%
Federal 18.8%
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 Carolina Beach Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emsley a Laney High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John T Hoggard High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Eugene Ashley High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| New Hanover High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Charles P Murray Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Carolina Beach Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,243
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,082
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,893
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,437
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 907
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
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 (~383 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Carolina Beach Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Carolina Beach Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- New Hanover 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 Carolina Beach Elementary
How many students attend Carolina Beach Elementary?
Carolina Beach Elementary has 383 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Carolina Beach, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carolina Beach Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Carolina Beach Elementary is 13.7:1, which is 13% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 13% 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 Carolina Beach Elementary?
29.2% of students at Carolina Beach Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carolina Beach Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Carolina Beach Elementary is White at 91.1% of enrollment, in Carolina Beach, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carolina Beach Elementary?
Carolina Beach Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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).
Is Carolina Beach Elementary a good school?
Carolina Beach Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 New Hanover County Schools?
Besides Carolina Beach Elementary, New Hanover County Schools also operates Emsley a Laney High (2,243 students), John T Hoggard High (2,082 students), and Eugene Ashley High (1,893 students). See the New Hanover County Schools district page for the complete list.
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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.