Enrollment
274
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Dobson, NC
Copeland Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Copeland Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370441001746
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Copeland Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of North Carolina schools.
- #1 of 4
- schools in Dobson · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 75.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Copeland Elementary has class sizes smaller than 78% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Copeland Elementary ranks #1 of 4 schools in Dobson, NC.
School address
District: Surry County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370441001746 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Copeland Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Copeland Elementary
Copeland Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Dobson, North Carolina, enrolling 274 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13:1 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 75.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 274 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 129 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #42.
Its student body is led by White (53%) and Hispanic or Latino (45%) (diversity index 52/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 274 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Dobson's public schools, it stands alongside Dobson Elementary (350 students): Copeland Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13:1 vs 14.6:1).
Surry County Schools also operates North Surry High (792 students) and Surry Central High (679 students) alongside Copeland 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 Copeland Elementary compares
Copeland 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 | 13:1 | ▼ 18% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.5% | ▲ 14% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 274 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
274
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
75.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% 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
13:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 22% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.4%
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
$12,638
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 274 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.6 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 52.9%
Hispanic or Latino 44.5%
Asian 1.1%
African American 0.7%
Two or More 0.7%
Largest group: White at 52.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.2, Copeland 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 Surry County Schools, which includes Copeland Elementary.
$12,638
Per student
+5%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.6%
State 60.1%
Federal 24.3%
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 Copeland Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Surry High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Surry Central High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Surry High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Central Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Franklin Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Copeland Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 792
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 679
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 576
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 473
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar other schools in Dobson
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~274 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Copeland Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Copeland Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Surry 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 Copeland Elementary
How many students attend Copeland Elementary?
Copeland Elementary has 274 students enrolled. It is a public school in Dobson, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Copeland Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Copeland Elementary is 13:1, which is 18% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 17% 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 Copeland Elementary?
75.5% of students at Copeland Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Copeland Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Copeland Elementary is White at 52.9% of enrollment, in Dobson, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Copeland Elementary?
Copeland Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Copeland Elementary rank among schools in Dobson?
By Resource Investment Index, Copeland Elementary ranks #1 of 4 schools in Dobson, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Dobson on the city page.
Is Copeland Elementary a good school?
Copeland Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% 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 Surry County Schools?
Besides Copeland Elementary, Surry County Schools also operates North Surry High (792 students), Surry Central High (679 students), and East Surry High (576 students). See the Surry 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.