Enrollment
262
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Smyrna, NC
Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370063000258
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of North Carolina schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Carolina schools.
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.4:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 98.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 262
- students enrolled
Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary has class sizes smaller than 90% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Carteret County Public Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370063000258 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary
Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Smyrna, North Carolina, enrolling 262 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.4:1, Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary is leaner than roughly 90% of North Carolina schools and 28% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 98.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 262 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.
Among 267 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #20, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 11/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 262 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Carteret County Public Schools also operates West Carteret High (1,095 students) and Croatan High (1,019 students) alongside Down East Middle and Smyrna 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 Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary compares
Down East Middle and Smyrna 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 | 11.4:1 | ▼ 28% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.8% | ▲ 50% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 262 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.4:1
Leaner classes than 80% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
262
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
98.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 50% 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
11.4:1
students per teacher
- 28% below state mean
Top 10% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
24.0%
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
$13,086
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 262 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.3 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 94.3%
Hispanic or Latino 3.1%
Two or More 1.9%
African American 0.8%
Largest group: White at 94.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.9, Down East Middle and Smyrna 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 Carteret County Public Schools, which includes Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary.
$13,086
Per student
+9%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.2%
State 54.7%
Federal 19.2%
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.
How Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Carteret High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Croatan High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| White Oak Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Broad Creek Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Newport Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,095
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,019
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 784
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 722
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 621
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
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 (~262 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Carteret County Public 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 Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary
How many students attend Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary?
Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary has 262 students enrolled. It is a public school in Smyrna, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary is 11.4:1, which is 28% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 27% 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 Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary?
98.8% of students at Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary is White at 94.3% of enrollment, in Smyrna, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary?
Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher 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 Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary a good school?
Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% 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 Carteret County Public Schools?
Besides Down East Middle and Smyrna Elementary, Carteret County Public Schools also operates West Carteret High (1,095 students), Croatan High (1,019 students), and White Oak Elementary (784 students). See the Carteret County Public 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.