Enrollment
238
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Belmont, NC
Catawba Heights Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Catawba Heights Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370162000671
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 1
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Catawba Heights Elementary earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of North Carolina schools.
- #2 of 3
- schools in Belmont · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.9:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 59.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Catawba Heights Elementary has class sizes smaller than 88% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Catawba Heights Elementary ranks #2 of 3 schools in Belmont, NC.
School address
District: Gaston County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370162000671 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Catawba Heights Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Catawba Heights Elementary
Catawba Heights Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Belmont, North Carolina, enrolling 238 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.9:1, Catawba Heights Elementary is leaner than roughly 88% of North Carolina schools and 25% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 59.8% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 238 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 166 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #96.
Its student body is led by White (50%) and Hispanic or Latino (29%) (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 238 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Belmont's public schools, it stands alongside J B Page Primary School (396 students): Catawba Heights Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.9:1 vs 20.8:1).
Gaston County Schools also operates Ashbrook High (1,386 students) and Hunter Huss High (1,165 students) alongside Catawba Heights 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 Catawba Heights Elementary compares
Catawba Heights 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 | 11.9:1 | ▼ 25% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.8% | ▼ 9% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 238 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.9:1
Leaner classes than 76% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
238
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% 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
11.9:1
students per teacher
- 25% below state mean
Top 12% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
39.5%
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
$11,409
per pupil, district-wide
- below North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 238 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 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 50.4%
Hispanic or Latino 28.6%
African American 9.7%
Two or More 8.4%
Asian 2.9%
Largest group: White at 50.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.7, Catawba Heights Elementary is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gaston County Schools, which includes Catawba Heights Elementary.
$11,409
Per student
-5%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.3%
State 64.3%
Federal 19.4%
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 Catawba Heights Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashbrook High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hunter Huss High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Forestview High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Gaston High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Point High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Catawba Heights Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,386
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,165
- Students per teacher
- 25.3:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 1,133
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,061
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 989
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar other schools in Belmont
2 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 (~238 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Catawba Heights Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Catawba Heights Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Gaston 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 Catawba Heights Elementary
How many students attend Catawba Heights Elementary?
Catawba Heights Elementary has 238 students enrolled. It is a public school in Belmont, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Catawba Heights Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Catawba Heights Elementary is 11.9:1, which is 25% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 24% 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 Catawba Heights Elementary?
59.8% of students at Catawba Heights Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Catawba Heights Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Catawba Heights Elementary is White at 50.4% of enrollment, in Belmont, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Catawba Heights Elementary?
Catawba Heights Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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).
How does Catawba Heights Elementary rank among schools in Belmont?
By Resource Investment Index, Catawba Heights Elementary ranks #2 of 3 schools in Belmont, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Belmont on the city page.
Is Catawba Heights Elementary a good school?
Catawba Heights Elementary earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% 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 Gaston County Schools?
Besides Catawba Heights Elementary, Gaston County Schools also operates Ashbrook High (1,386 students), Hunter Huss High (1,165 students), and Forestview High (1,133 students). See the Gaston 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.