Enrollment
453
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370041803428 Charter school
Discovery Charter — Bahama, NC
Federal NCES profile for Discovery Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 42
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 76
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: Discovery Charter School · 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)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Discovery Charter 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
Discovery Charter reports 453 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% below the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 227 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 9.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Discovery Charter School spends $12,743 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 31.9% from local sources (property taxes), 58.0% from the state, and 10.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), 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 Discovery Charter 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 | 14.4:1 | ▼ 12% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 453 | top 44% | — | — |
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.
Staffing depth
14.4:1
students per teacher
— 12% below state mean
Top 40% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
9.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$12,743
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 227 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 453 Top 44% in North Carolina — larger than 56% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 14.4:1 -12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 370041803428
Student demographics
White 50.8%
African American 25.2%
Hispanic or Latino 12.8%
Two or More 10.2%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 50.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 227:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 9.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 27
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Discovery Charter School, which includes Discovery Charter.
$12,743
Per student
-2%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 31.9%
State 58.0%
Federal 10.2%
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.
Similar other schools in Bahama
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Discovery Charter
How many students attend Discovery Charter?
Discovery Charter has 453 students enrolled. It is a other school in Bahama, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Discovery Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Discovery Charter is 14.4:1, which is 12% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Discovery Charter?
The largest demographic group at Discovery Charter is White at 50.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bahama, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Discovery Charter?
Discovery Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) 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.