Enrollment
64
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Sylva, NC
Catamount School
Federal NCES profile for Catamount School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 370042103437
👥 S:T ratio 64
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Catamount School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 96% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in North Carolina.
- #6 of 6
- public schools in Sylva · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 9.1:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 47.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Catamount School has class sizes smaller than 96% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Catamount School ranks #6 of 6 public schools in Sylva, NC.
School address
District: Catamount School · North Carolina
NCES ID 370042103437 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.1:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Catamount School compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Catamount School
Catamount School is a small middle school in Sylva, North Carolina, enrolling 64 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.1:1, Catamount School is leaner than roughly 96% of North Carolina schools and 42% 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 47.5% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 97% of North Carolina schools, with 64 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (83% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 30/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Catamount School spends $16,302 per pupil, 36% above the North Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Discipline events run high: 14 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 64 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Catamount School operates only this one school, so Catamount School has no district-mates to compare against locally. At 64 students, it is also a small operation, on the smaller end of North Carolina's single-school districts.
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 Catamount School compares
Catamount 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 | 9.1:1 | ▼ 42% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.5% | ▼ 28% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 64 | top 97% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.1:1
Leaner classes than 92% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
64
Bigger than 7% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
47.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
9.1:1
students per teacher
- 42% below state mean
Top 4% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
45.3%
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
$16,302
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.9 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 82.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 7.8%
Two or More 6.3%
African American 1.6%
Hispanic or Latino 1.6%
Largest group: White at 82.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 30.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 30.4, Catamount School is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Catamount School, which includes Catamount School.
$16,302
Per student
+36%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.5%
State 79.6%
Federal 3.0%
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 middle 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 (~64 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Catamount School's federal record.
- Compare Catamount School against another school. Compare schools
- Catamount School'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 Catamount School
How many students attend Catamount School?
Catamount School has 64 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Sylva, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Catamount School?
The student-teacher ratio at Catamount School is 9.1:1, which is 42% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 42% 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 Catamount School?
47.5% of students at Catamount School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Catamount School?
The largest demographic group at Catamount School is White at 82.8% of enrollment, in Sylva, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Catamount School?
Catamount School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Catamount School rank among public schools in Sylva?
By Resource Investment Index, Catamount School ranks #6 of 6 public schools in Sylva, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Sylva on the city page.
Is Catamount School a good school?
Catamount School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 96% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in North Carolina. 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 Catamount School?
None reported; Catamount School operates only Catamount School as a public school district in NCES's records.
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.