Enrollment
283
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370342002895
Central Elementary — Jackson, NC
Federal NCES profile for Central Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 16
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: Northampton 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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.9%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central 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
Central Elementary reports 283 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 30% 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 28% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 98.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 50% above the North Carolina average and 91% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 283 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Northampton County Schools spends $21,503 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.9% from local sources (property taxes), 55.0% from the state, and 28.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Central 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 | 11.5:1 | ▼ 30% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.9% | ▲ 50% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 283 | top 21% | — | — |
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
98.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 50% above 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
11.5:1
students per teacher
— 30% below state mean
Top 9% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
33.6%
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
$21,503
per pupil, district-wide
— above North Carolina avg of $13,042
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 283 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 283 Top 21% in North Carolina — larger than 79% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 11.5:1 -30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 98.9% +50% vs state
NCES ID 370342002895
Student demographics
African American 71.7%
White 13.8%
Hispanic or Latino 9.9%
Two or More 4.6%
Largest group: African American at 71.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 283:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northampton County Schools, which includes Central Elementary.
$21,503
Per student
+65%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
+10%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.9%
State 55.0%
Federal 28.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 284
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Enrollment
- 265
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 259
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 148
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Enrollment
- 12
- Students per teacher
- —
Similar other schools in Jackson
1 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 Central Elementary
How many students attend Central Elementary?
Central Elementary has 283 students enrolled. It is a other school in Jackson, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary is 11.5:1, which is 30% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 28% 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 Central Elementary?
98.9% of students at Central Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Central Elementary is African American at 71.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Jackson, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elementary?
Central Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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.