Enrollment
283
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Jackson, NC
Central Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Central Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370342002895
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 16
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of North Carolina schools.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.8:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 98.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 283
- students enrolled
Central Elementary has class sizes smaller than 88% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Northampton County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370342002895 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-25% 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
What stands out at Central Elementary
Central Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Jackson, North Carolina, enrolling 283 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.8:1, Central Elementary is leaner than roughly 88% of North Carolina schools and 25% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 98.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 283 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 313 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #79.
Its student body is led by African American (72%) and White (14%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 283 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Northampton County Schools spends $20,192 per pupil, 68% above the North Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 28.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Jackson's public schools, it stands alongside Northampton Virtual Academy (12 students): Central Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount.
Northampton County Schools also operates Gaston Stem Leadership Academy (284 students) and Northampton County High School (265 students) alongside Central Elementary.
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 Central Elementary compares
Central Elementary 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 25% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.9% | ▲ 50% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 283 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
283
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 25% below state mean
Top 12% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
33.6%
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
$20,192
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially 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
- 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
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.
Student-body diversity index 45.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.5, Central Elementary is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northampton County Schools, which includes Central Elementary.
$20,192
Per student
+68%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
+22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Central Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaston Stem Leadership Academy | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Northampton County High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Conway Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northampton Early College | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northampton Virtual Academy | Smaller | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Central Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 284
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 265
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 259
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 148
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 12
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar other schools in Jackson
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~283 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Central Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Northampton 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 Central Elementary
How many students attend Central Elementary?
Central Elementary has 283 students enrolled. It is a public school in Jackson, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary is 11.8:1, which is 25% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. 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% of enrollment, in Jackson, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elementary?
Central Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Central Elementary a good school?
Central Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% 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 Northampton County Schools?
Besides Central Elementary, Northampton County Schools also operates Gaston Stem Leadership Academy (284 students), Northampton County High School (265 students), and Conway Middle (259 students). See the Northampton 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.