Enrollment
202
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Elk Park, NC
Cranberry Middle
Federal NCES profile for Cranberry Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 370030001723
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cranberry Middle earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of North Carolina schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Carolina schools.
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.5:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 52.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 202
- students enrolled
Cranberry Middle has class sizes smaller than 72% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Avery County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370030001723 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cranberry Middle compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cranberry Middle
Cranberry Middle is a higher-need, small middle school in Elk Park, North Carolina, enrolling 202 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 52.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 202 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 122 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #81.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 404 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Avery County Schools spends $15,311 per pupil, 27% above the North Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 18.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Avery County Schools also operates Avery County High (542 students) and Newland Elementary (214 students) alongside Cranberry Middle.
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 Cranberry Middle compares
Cranberry Middle 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 15% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.4% | ▼ 21% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 202 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
202
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 21% 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
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 28% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
21.3%
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
$15,311
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
19
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.9 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 91.6%
Hispanic or Latino 6.9%
Two or More 1.5%
Largest group: White at 91.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.6, Cranberry Middle is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Avery County Schools, which includes Cranberry Middle.
$15,311
Per student
+27%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.0%
State 50.1%
Federal 18.9%
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 Cranberry Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avery County High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Newland Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Freedom Trail Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Crossnore Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Avery Middle | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cranberry Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 542
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 214
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 184
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 181
- Students per teacher
- 8.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar middle 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 (~202 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cranberry Middle's federal record.
- Compare Cranberry Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Avery 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 Cranberry Middle
How many students attend Cranberry Middle?
Cranberry Middle has 202 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Elk Park, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cranberry Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Cranberry Middle is 13.5:1, which is 15% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 14% 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 Cranberry Middle?
52.4% of students at Cranberry Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cranberry Middle?
The largest demographic group at Cranberry Middle is White at 91.6% of enrollment, in Elk Park, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cranberry Middle?
Cranberry Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Cranberry Middle a good school?
Cranberry Middle earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of North Carolina schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Avery County Schools?
Besides Cranberry Middle, Avery County Schools also operates Avery County High (542 students), Newland Elementary (214 students), and Freedom Trail Elementary (202 students). See the Avery 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.