Enrollment
564
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 370495002072
Central Wilkes Middle School — Moravian Falls, NC
Federal NCES profile for Central Wilkes Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 0
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: Wilkes 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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Wilkes Middle School 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 Wilkes Middle School reports 564 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% 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 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 99.3% 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 92% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 282 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 42.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Wilkes County Schools spends $12,482 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 20.8% from local sources (property taxes), 59.5% from the state, and 19.7% 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 Wilkes Middle School 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 | 16:1 | ▼ 2% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.3% | ▲ 50% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 564 | top 61% | — | — |
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
99.3%
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
16:1
students per teacher
— 2% below state mean
Top 64% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
42.0%
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
$12,482
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 282 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
139
in-school suspensions + 110 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 24.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 44.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 564 Top 61% in North Carolina — larger than 39% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 16:1 -2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 99.3% +50% vs state
NCES ID 370495002072
Student demographics
White 52.5%
Hispanic or Latino 27.1%
Two or More 13.1%
African American 6.4%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: White at 52.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 282:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 42.0%
In-school suspensions 139
Out-of-school suspensions 110
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wilkes County Schools, which includes Central Wilkes Middle School.
$12,482
Per student
-4%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 20.8%
State 59.5%
Federal 19.7%
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
- 719
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 699
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 582
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 578
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 488
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
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 Wilkes Middle School
How many students attend Central Wilkes Middle School?
Central Wilkes Middle School has 564 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Moravian Falls, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Wilkes Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Wilkes Middle School is 16:1, which is 2% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 1% higher 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 Wilkes Middle School?
99.3% of students at Central Wilkes Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Wilkes Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Central Wilkes Middle School is White at 52.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Moravian Falls, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Wilkes Middle School?
Central Wilkes Middle School 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.