Enrollment
173
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370297003000
Cato Middle College High School — Charlotte, NC
Federal NCES profile for Cato Middle College High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 0
📚 AP courses 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 65
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: Charlotte-Mecklenburg 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)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
50.3:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+207% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cato Middle College High 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
Cato Middle College High School reports 173 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 4.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 50.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 207% above the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 216% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 49% below the North Carolina average and 35% below the national baseline. The school offers 5 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 173 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools spends $15,997 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.2% from local sources (property taxes), 52.1% from the state, and 15.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Cato Middle College High 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 | 50.3:1 | ▲ 207% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.8% | ▼ 49% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 173 | top 9% | — | — |
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
33.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 49% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
50.3:1
students per teacher
— 207% above state mean
Top 100% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 0% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$15,997
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 173 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 173 Top 9% in North Carolina — larger than 91% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 4.0
Students per teacher 50.3:1 +207% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.8% -49% vs state
NCES ID 370297003000
Student demographics
African American 45.7%
Hispanic or Latino 24.9%
White 13.3%
Asian 8.7%
Two or More 7.5%
Largest group: African American at 45.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 173:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, which includes Cato Middle College High School.
$15,997
Per student
+23%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.2%
State 52.1%
Federal 15.6%
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
- 3,225
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Enrollment
- 3,036
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,534
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,518
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,422
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
Similar high schools in Charlotte
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Myers Park High School
Standard public school
3,225 students 21.9:1 students per teacher
Ardrey Kell High School
Standard public school
3,036 students 21.3:1 students per teacher
South Mecklenburg High School
Standard public school
2,534 students 19.7:1 students per teacher
East Mecklenburg High School
Standard public school
2,422 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Palisades High School
Standard public school
2,332 students 23.8:1 students per teacher
Julius L. Chambers High School
Standard public school
2,225 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
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 Cato Middle College High School
How many students attend Cato Middle College High School?
Cato Middle College High School has 173 students enrolled. It is a high school in Charlotte, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cato Middle College High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cato Middle College High School is 50.3:1, which is 207% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 216% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cato Middle College High School?
33.8% of students at Cato Middle College High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cato Middle College High School?
The largest demographic group at Cato Middle College High School is African American at 45.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Charlotte, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cato Middle College High School?
Cato Middle College High School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.