Enrollment
833
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Holly Ridge, NC
Coastal Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Coastal Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370345003566
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Coastal Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Holly Ridge · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.3:1
- students per teacher
- 26.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Coastal Elementary has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Coastal Elementary ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Holly Ridge, NC.
School address
District: Onslow County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370345003566 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-60% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Coastal Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Coastal Elementary
Coastal Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Holly Ridge, North Carolina, enrolling 833 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.3:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 26.4% free-meal eligibility runs 60% below the North Carolina average.
Enrollment of 833 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 288 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #243, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and Hispanic or Latino (15%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 833 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Onslow County Schools also operates Jacksonville High (1,441 students) and White Oak High (1,252 students) alongside Coastal 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 Coastal Elementary compares
Coastal 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 | 16.3:1 | ▲ 3% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.4% | ▼ 60% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 833 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
833
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
26.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 60% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 66% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
27.9%
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
$10,680
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 833 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 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 73.5%
Hispanic or Latino 14.8%
Two or More 7.8%
African American 2.2%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 73.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.1, Coastal 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 Onslow County Schools, which includes Coastal Elementary.
$10,680
Per student
-11%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.1%
State 57.2%
Federal 21.7%
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 Coastal Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| White Oak High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Swansboro High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dixon High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northside High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Coastal Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,441
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,252
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,232
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,085
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,067
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
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 (~833 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Coastal Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Coastal Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Onslow 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 Coastal Elementary
How many students attend Coastal Elementary?
Coastal Elementary has 833 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Holly Ridge, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Coastal Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Coastal Elementary is 16.3:1, which is 3% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Coastal Elementary?
26.4% of students at Coastal Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Coastal Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Coastal Elementary is White at 73.5% of enrollment, in Holly Ridge, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Coastal Elementary?
Coastal Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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).
How does Coastal Elementary rank among public schools in Holly Ridge?
By Resource Investment Index, Coastal Elementary ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Holly Ridge, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Holly Ridge on the city page.
Is Coastal Elementary a good school?
Coastal Elementary earns 34/100 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 Onslow County Schools?
Besides Coastal Elementary, Onslow County Schools also operates Jacksonville High (1,441 students), White Oak High (1,252 students), and Swansboro High (1,232 students). See the Onslow 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.