Enrollment
64
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 370042103437
Catamount School — Sylva, NC
Federal NCES profile for Catamount School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 66
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
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: Catamount School · 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)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.4:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-49% 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
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
Catamount School reports 64 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 7.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 49% below the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 47% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 47.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 28% below the North Carolina average and 8% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 45.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Catamount School spends $16,302 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 17.5% from local sources (property taxes), 79.6% from the state, and 3.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Catamount School 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 | 8.4:1 | ▼ 49% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.5% | ▼ 28% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 64 | top 3% | — | — |
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
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
8.4:1
students per teacher
— 49% below state mean
Top 3% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
45.3%
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
$16,302
per pupil, district-wide
— above North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
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
Enrollment 64 Top 3% in North Carolina — larger than 97% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 7.0
Students per teacher 8.4:1 -49% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 47.5% -28% vs state
NCES ID 370042103437
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 45.3%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Catamount School, which includes Catamount School.
$16,302
Per student
+25%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
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 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 8.4:1, which is 49% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 47% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Sylva, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Catamount School?
Catamount School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.