Enrollment
686
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 370114000458
Central Davidson Middle — Lexington, NC
Federal NCES profile for Central Davidson Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 17
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: Davidson 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)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.1:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.1%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Davidson Middle 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
Central Davidson Middle reports 686 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 40.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 8% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 18% below the North Carolina average and 4% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 343 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Davidson County Schools spends $11,522 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.2% from local sources (property taxes), 62.4% from the state, and 21.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), 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 Central Davidson Middle 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 | 17.1:1 | ▲ 4% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.1% | ▼ 18% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 686 | top 74% | — | — |
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
54.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 18% 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
17.1:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 76% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
33.4%
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
$11,522
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 343 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
63
in-school suspensions + 115 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 686 Top 74% in North Carolina — larger than 26% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 40.0
Students per teacher 17.1:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.1% -18% vs state
NCES ID 370114000458
Student demographics
White 71.6%
Hispanic or Latino 15.5%
Two or More 7.9%
African American 4.4%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 71.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 343:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.4%
In-school suspensions 63
Out-of-school suspensions 115
Expulsions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Davidson County Schools, which includes Central Davidson Middle.
$11,522
Per student
-12%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.2%
State 62.4%
Federal 21.3%
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
- 992
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 935
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 897
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 776
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 740
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
Similar middle schools in Lexington
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Central Davidson Middle
How many students attend Central Davidson Middle?
Central Davidson Middle has 686 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Lexington, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Davidson Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Davidson Middle is 17.1:1, which is 4% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Davidson Middle?
54.1% of students at Central Davidson Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Davidson Middle?
The largest demographic group at Central Davidson Middle is White at 71.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lexington, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Davidson Middle?
Central Davidson Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) 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.