Enrollment
238
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370162000671
Catawba Heights Elementary — Belmont, NC
Federal NCES profile for Catawba Heights Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 1
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: Gaston County Schools · 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-21% 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
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
Catawba Heights Elementary reports 238 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% 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 18% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 59.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 9% below the North Carolina average and 15% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 238 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 39.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Gaston County Schools spends $11,856 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.3% from local sources (property taxes), 64.3% from the state, and 19.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), 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 Catawba Heights Elementary 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 | 13:1 | ▼ 21% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.8% | ▼ 9% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 238 | top 16% | — | — |
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
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
13:1
students per teacher
— 21% below state mean
Top 21% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
39.5%
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
$11,856
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 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
Enrollment 238 Top 16% in North Carolina — larger than 84% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 13:1 -21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 59.8% -9% vs state
NCES ID 370162000671
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 238:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 39.5%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gaston County Schools, which includes Catawba Heights Elementary.
$11,856
Per student
-9%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,386
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,165
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,133
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Enrollment
- 1,061
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 989
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
Similar other schools in Belmont
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Catawba Heights Elementary
How many students attend Catawba Heights Elementary?
Catawba Heights Elementary has 238 students enrolled. It is a other school in Belmont, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Catawba Heights Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Catawba Heights Elementary is 13:1, which is 21% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 18% 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 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Belmont, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Catawba Heights Elementary?
Catawba Heights Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) 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.