Enrollment
1,323
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 370462003095
Cuthbertson Middle — Waxhaw, NC
Federal NCES profile for Cuthbertson Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 30/100.
👥 Class size 9
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 28
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: Union County Public Schools · 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)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.8:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+39% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
9.2%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-86% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cuthbertson Middle 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
Cuthbertson Middle reports 1,323 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 59.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 39% 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 43% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 9.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 86% below the North Carolina average and 82% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 441 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Union County Public Schools spends $11,790 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.9% from local sources (property taxes), 55.8% from the state, and 15.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Cuthbertson Middle 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 | 22.8:1 | ▲ 39% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 9.2% | ▼ 86% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,323 | top 95% | — | — |
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
9.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 86% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
22.8:1
students per teacher
— 39% 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
28.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,790
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 441 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
47
in-school suspensions + 41 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 1,323 Top 95% in North Carolina — larger than 5% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 59.0
Students per teacher 22.8:1 +39% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 9.2% -86% vs state
NCES ID 370462003095
Student demographics
White 66.1%
Asian 13.3%
Hispanic or Latino 9.4%
African American 5.9%
Two or More 5.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 66.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 441:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.9%
In-school suspensions 47
Out-of-school suspensions 41
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Union County Public Schools, which includes Cuthbertson Middle.
$11,790
Per student
-10%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.9%
State 55.8%
Federal 15.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,961
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,899
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,857
- Students per teacher
- 23.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,809
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,447
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
Similar middle schools in Waxhaw
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 Cuthbertson Middle
How many students attend Cuthbertson Middle?
Cuthbertson Middle has 1,323 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Waxhaw, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cuthbertson Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Cuthbertson Middle is 22.8:1, which is 39% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 43% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cuthbertson Middle?
9.2% of students at Cuthbertson Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cuthbertson Middle?
The largest demographic group at Cuthbertson Middle is White at 66.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Waxhaw, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cuthbertson Middle?
Cuthbertson Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.