Enrollment
261
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Hillsborough, NC
Central Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Central Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 58/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370348001443
👥 S:T ratio 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 55
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central Elementary earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of North Carolina schools.
- #1 of 6
- schools in Hillsborough · Resource Index
- 58
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 72.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Central Elementary has class sizes smaller than 94% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central Elementary ranks #1 of 6 schools in Hillsborough, NC.
School address
District: Orange County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370348001443 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
72.6%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+10% 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 higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Hillsborough, North Carolina, enrolling 261 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10:1, Central Elementary is leaner than roughly 94% of North Carolina schools and 37% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 72.6% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 261 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 129 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #8, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (40%) and African American (28%) (diversity index 70/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 261 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Hillsborough's public schools, it stands alongside Eno River Academy (828 students): Central Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10:1 vs 13.8:1).
Orange County Schools also operates Orange High (1,161 students) and Cedar Ridge High (1,148 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 | 10:1 | ▼ 37% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 72.6% | ▲ 10% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 261 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10:1
Leaner classes than 89% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
261
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
72.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% 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
10:1
students per teacher
- 37% below state mean
Top 6% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
18.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 261 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 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 40.2%
African American 27.6%
Hispanic or Latino 24.1%
Two or More 6.5%
Asian 1.5%
Largest group: White at 40.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.0, Central Elementary is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orange County Schools, which includes Central Elementary.
$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 Central Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cedar Ridge High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| A L Stanback Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Efland Cheeks Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| New Hope Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central Elementary'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
- 1,148
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- 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
Similar other schools in Hillsborough
5 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Eno River Academy
Standard public school
828 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
River Park Elementary
Standard public school
523 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Hillsborough Elementary
Standard public school
435 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Grady Brown Elementary
Standard public school
406 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
Pathways Elementary
Standard public school
371 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
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 (~261 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Central Elementary 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 Central Elementary
How many students attend Central Elementary?
Central Elementary has 261 students enrolled. It is a public school in Hillsborough, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary is 10:1, which is 37% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 36% 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?
72.6% 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 White at 40.2% of enrollment, in Hillsborough, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elementary?
Central Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (higher 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).
How does Central Elementary rank among schools in Hillsborough?
By Resource Investment Index, Central Elementary ranks #1 of 6 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 schools in Hillsborough on the city page.
Is Central Elementary a good school?
Central Elementary earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% 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 Central Elementary, Orange County Schools also operates Orange High (1,161 students), Cedar Ridge High (1,148 students), and A L Stanback Middle (648 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.