Enrollment
591
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Elm City, NC
Coopers Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Coopers Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370327001346
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 36
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Coopers Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of North Carolina schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Elm City · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.4:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 57.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Coopers Elementary has class sizes larger than 76% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Coopers Elementary ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Elm City, NC.
School address
District: Nash County Public Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370327001346 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.4:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.9%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Coopers Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Coopers Elementary
Coopers Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Elm City, North Carolina, enrolling 591 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.4:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.9% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 591 students, its enrollment sits close to the North Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 497 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #361, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (61%) and African American (20%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 591 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 25.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Nash County Public Schools also operates Southern Nash High (1,048 students) and Northern Nash High (1,035 students) alongside Coopers 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 Coopers Elementary compares
Coopers 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 | 17.4:1 | ▲ 10% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.9% | ▼ 12% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 591 | top 36% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.4:1
Leaner classes than 28% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
591
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 12% 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
17.4:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 76% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.5%
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
$12,090
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 591 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 23 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.8 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 60.9%
African American 20.3%
Hispanic or Latino 13.4%
Two or More 4.1%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 60.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.8, Coopers Elementary is about as mixed as the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Nash County Public Schools, which includes Coopers Elementary.
$12,090
Per student
+1%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 14.1%
State 60.8%
Federal 25.1%
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 Coopers Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Nash High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Northern Nash High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rocky Mount High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Red Oak Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southern Nash Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Coopers Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,048
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,035
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,023
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 840
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 795
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
Similar other 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 (~591 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Coopers Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Coopers Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Nash County Public 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 Coopers Elementary
How many students attend Coopers Elementary?
Coopers Elementary has 591 students enrolled. It is a public school in Elm City, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Coopers Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Coopers Elementary is 17.4:1, which is 10% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Coopers Elementary?
57.9% of students at Coopers Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Coopers Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Coopers Elementary is White at 60.9% of enrollment, in Elm City, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Coopers Elementary?
Coopers 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 Coopers Elementary rank among public schools in Elm City?
By Resource Investment Index, Coopers Elementary ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Elm City, 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 Elm City on the city page.
Is Coopers Elementary a good school?
Coopers Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% 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 Nash County Public Schools?
Besides Coopers Elementary, Nash County Public Schools also operates Southern Nash High (1,048 students), Northern Nash High (1,035 students), and Rocky Mount High (1,023 students). See the Nash County Public 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.