Enrollment
856
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 370039903387 Charter school
Concord Lake Steam Academy — Kannapolis, NC
Federal NCES profile for Concord Lake Steam Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 11
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 55
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: Concord Lake Steam Academy · 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)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.3:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.2%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Concord Lake Steam Academy 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
Concord Lake Steam Academy reports 856 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 27.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 36% above the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 40% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 59.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 10% below the North Carolina average and 14% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Concord Lake Steam Academy spends $9,939 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.6% from local sources (property taxes), 58.4% from the state, and 16.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 Concord Lake Steam Academy 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 | 22.3:1 | ▲ 36% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.2% | ▼ 10% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 856 | top 85% | — | — |
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
59.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 10% below 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
22.3:1
students per teacher
— 36% above state mean
Top 95% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
18.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$9,939
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 856 Top 85% in North Carolina — larger than 15% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 27.0
Students per teacher 22.3:1 +36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 59.2% -10% vs state
NCES ID 370039903387
Student demographics
African American 45.6%
White 22.9%
Hispanic or Latino 22.4%
Two or More 7.9%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 45.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.1%
In-school suspensions 15
Out-of-school suspensions 22
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Concord Lake Steam Academy, which includes Concord Lake Steam Academy.
$9,939
Per student
-24%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-49%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.6%
State 58.4%
Federal 16.0%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Kannapolis
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Royal Oaks Elementary
Standard public school
661 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Gw Carver Elementary
Standard public school
503 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Jackson Park Elementary
Standard public school
476 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Fred L Wilson Elementary
Standard public school
415 students 16:1 students per teacher
Shady Brook Elementary
Standard public school
322 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
North Kannapolis Elementary
Standard public school
296 students 9.3:1 students per teacher
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 Concord Lake Steam Academy
How many students attend Concord Lake Steam Academy?
Concord Lake Steam Academy has 856 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Kannapolis, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Concord Lake Steam Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Concord Lake Steam Academy is 22.3:1, which is 36% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 40% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Concord Lake Steam Academy?
59.2% of students at Concord Lake Steam Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Concord Lake Steam Academy?
The largest demographic group at Concord Lake Steam Academy is African American at 45.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Kannapolis, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Concord Lake Steam Academy?
Concord Lake Steam Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.