Enrollment
564
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Moravian Falls, NC
Central Wilkes Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Central Wilkes Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 370495002072
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central Wilkes Middle School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.7:1
- students per teacher
- 99.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 564
- students enrolled
Central Wilkes Middle School has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Wilkes County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370495002072 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-1% 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
What stands out at Central Wilkes Middle School
Central Wilkes Middle School is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Moravian Falls, North Carolina, enrolling 564 students.
At 15.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the North Carolina median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 99.3% of students eligible for free meals.
With 564 students, its enrollment sits close to the North Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 558 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #220.
Its student body is led by White (53%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%) (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 282 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 249 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 564 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Wilkes County Schools also operates Wilkes Central High School (719 students) and Millers Creek Elementary School (699 students) alongside Central Wilkes Middle School.
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 Wilkes Middle School compares
Central Wilkes Middle School 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 | 15.7:1 | ▼ 1% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.3% | ▲ 50% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 564 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.7:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
564
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
15.7:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 59% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
42.0%
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
$12,156
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 63.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.0, Central Wilkes Middle School is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wilkes County Schools, which includes Central Wilkes Middle School.
$12,156
Per student
+1%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Central Wilkes Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilkes Central High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Millers Creek Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Wilkes High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| North Wilkes High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mountain View Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central Wilkes Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 719
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 699
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 582
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 578
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 488
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar middle 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 (~564 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Wilkes Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Central Wilkes Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Wilkes 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 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 15.7:1, which is 1% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 0% higher 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 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% of enrollment, in Moravian Falls, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Wilkes Middle School?
Central Wilkes Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Wilkes Middle School a good school?
Central Wilkes Middle School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. 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 Wilkes County Schools?
Besides Central Wilkes Middle School, Wilkes County Schools also operates Wilkes Central High School (719 students), Millers Creek Elementary School (699 students), and West Wilkes High School (582 students). See the Wilkes 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.