Enrollment
39
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Nags Head, NC
Dare Learning Academy
Federal NCES profile for Dare Learning Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370111002093
👥 S:T ratio 22
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dare Learning Academy earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in North Carolina.
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.5:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 85.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 39
- students enrolled
Dare Learning Academy has class sizes larger than 88% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Dare County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370111002093 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.5:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.0%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dare Learning Academy compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dare Learning Academy
Dare Learning Academy is a high-poverty, small high school in Nags Head, North Carolina, enrolling 39 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.5:1 is larger than about 88% of North Carolina schools and 23% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 85.0% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 99% of North Carolina schools, with 39 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 25 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #24, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and Hispanic or Latino (10%) (diversity index 42/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 51.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Dare County Schools also operates First Flight High School (874 students) and Manteo Elementary School (636 students) alongside Dare Learning Academy.
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 Dare Learning Academy compares
Dare Learning Academy 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 | 19.5:1 | ▲ 23% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.0% | ▲ 29% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 39 | top 99% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.5:1
Leaner classes than 18% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
39
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
85.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 29% 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
19.5:1
students per teacher
- 23% above state mean
Top 88% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
51.3%
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
$13,375
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.7 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 74.4%
Hispanic or Latino 10.3%
Two or More 10.3%
African American 5.1%
Largest group: White at 74.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.3, Dare Learning Academy is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dare County Schools, which includes Dare Learning Academy.
$13,375
Per student
+11%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.1%
State 51.5%
Federal 12.4%
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 Dare Learning Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Flight High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Manteo Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| First Flight Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Manteo High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Kitty Hawk Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dare Learning Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 874
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 636
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 604
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 487
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar high 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 (~39 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dare Learning Academy's federal record.
- Compare Dare Learning Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Dare 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 Dare Learning Academy
How many students attend Dare Learning Academy?
Dare Learning Academy has 39 students enrolled. It is a high school in Nags Head, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dare Learning Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Dare Learning Academy is 19.5:1, which is 23% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 24% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dare Learning Academy?
85.0% of students at Dare Learning Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dare Learning Academy?
The largest demographic group at Dare Learning Academy is White at 74.4% of enrollment, in Nags Head, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dare Learning Academy?
Dare Learning Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Dare Learning Academy a good school?
Dare Learning Academy earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in North Carolina. 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 Dare County Schools?
Besides Dare Learning Academy, Dare County Schools also operates First Flight High School (874 students), Manteo Elementary School (636 students), and First Flight Middle School (604 students). See the Dare 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.