Enrollment
1,148
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Hillsborough, NC
Cedar Ridge High
Federal NCES profile for Cedar Ridge High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370348002645
👥 S:T ratio 26
📚 AP courses 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 19
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cedar Ridge High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of North Carolina schools.
- #3 of 3
- high schools in Hillsborough · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.5:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 39.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Cedar Ridge High has class sizes larger than 84% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cedar Ridge High ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Hillsborough, NC.
School address
District: Orange County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370348002645 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
62.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cedar Ridge High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cedar Ridge High
Cedar Ridge High is a large high school in Hillsborough, North Carolina, enrolling 1,148 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.5:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 39.5% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Carolina, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,148 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 258 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #64.
Its student body is led by White (46%) and Hispanic or Latino (36%) (diversity index 65/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 9 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 230 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Hillsborough's high schools, it stands alongside Orange High (1,161 students): Cedar Ridge High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.5:1 vs 14.3:1).
Orange County Schools also operates Orange High (1,161 students) and A L Stanback Middle (648 students) alongside Cedar Ridge High.
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 Cedar Ridge High compares
Cedar Ridge High 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 | 18.5:1 | ▲ 17% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.5% | ▼ 40% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,148 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,148
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% 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
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 17% above state mean
Top 84% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.5%
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
$14,085
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 230 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
43
in-school suspensions + 32 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.5 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 46.0%
Hispanic or Latino 35.8%
African American 10.2%
Two or More 5.9%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 46.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.6, Cedar Ridge High is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 9
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orange County Schools, which includes Cedar Ridge High.
$14,085
Per student
+17%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.0%
State 48.0%
Federal 14.1%
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 Cedar Ridge High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| A L Stanback Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Efland Cheeks Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| New Hope Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| River Park Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cedar Ridge High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,161
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 648
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 532
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 523
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
Similar high schools in Hillsborough
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~1,148 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cedar Ridge High's federal record.
- Compare Cedar Ridge High against another school. Compare schools
- Orange 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 Cedar Ridge High
How many students attend Cedar Ridge High?
Cedar Ridge High has 1,148 students enrolled. It is a high school in Hillsborough, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cedar Ridge High?
The student-teacher ratio at Cedar Ridge High is 18.5:1, which is 17% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cedar Ridge High?
39.5% of students at Cedar Ridge High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cedar Ridge High?
The largest demographic group at Cedar Ridge High is White at 46.0% of enrollment, in Hillsborough, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cedar Ridge High?
Cedar Ridge High has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Cedar Ridge High rank among high schools in Hillsborough?
By Resource Investment Index, Cedar Ridge High ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Hillsborough, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Hillsborough on the city page.
Is Cedar Ridge High a good school?
Cedar Ridge High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% 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 Orange County Schools?
Besides Cedar Ridge High, Orange County Schools also operates Orange High (1,161 students), A L Stanback Middle (648 students), and Efland Cheeks Elementary (532 students). See the Orange 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.