Enrollment
188
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Cliffside, NC
Cliffside Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Cliffside Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370408001637
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 25
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cliffside Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of North Carolina schools.
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.1:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 98.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 188
- students enrolled
Cliffside Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 91% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Rutherford County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370408001637 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.1:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.6%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cliffside Elementary School compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cliffside Elementary School
Cliffside Elementary School is a high-poverty, small elementary school in Cliffside, North Carolina, enrolling 188 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.1:1, Cliffside Elementary School is leaner than roughly 91% of North Carolina schools and 30% 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 98.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 188 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 155 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #123, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 376 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 54.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Rutherford County Schools also operates R-S Central High School (763 students) and East Rutherford High School (623 students) alongside Cliffside Elementary 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 Cliffside Elementary School compares
Cliffside Elementary 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 | 11.1:1 | ▼ 30% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.6% | ▲ 49% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 188 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.1:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
188
Bigger than 18% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
98.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 49% 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
11.1:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 9% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
54.8%
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
$14,170
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.6 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 70.7%
Hispanic or Latino 17.0%
African American 5.9%
Two or More 5.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 70.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.4, Cliffside Elementary School is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rutherford County Schools, which includes Cliffside Elementary School.
$14,170
Per student
+18%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.0%
State 53.8%
Federal 24.2%
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 Cliffside Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-S Central High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Rutherford High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chase High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ellenboro Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| R-S Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cliffside Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 763
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 623
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 567
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 561
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
Similar elementary 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 (~188 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cliffside Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Cliffside Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Rutherford 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 Cliffside Elementary School
How many students attend Cliffside Elementary School?
Cliffside Elementary School has 188 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Cliffside, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cliffside Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cliffside Elementary School is 11.1:1, which is 30% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 29% 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 Cliffside Elementary School?
98.6% of students at Cliffside Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cliffside Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Cliffside Elementary School is White at 70.7% of enrollment, in Cliffside, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cliffside Elementary School?
Cliffside Elementary 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 Cliffside Elementary School a good school?
Cliffside Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% 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 Rutherford County Schools?
Besides Cliffside Elementary School, Rutherford County Schools also operates R-S Central High School (763 students), East Rutherford High School (623 students), and Chase High School (596 students). See the Rutherford 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.