Enrollment
1,017
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370001102124
E E Smith High — Fayetteville, NC
Federal NCES profile for E E Smith High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 32
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 0
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: Cumberland County 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
17:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.2%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How E E Smith High 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
E E Smith High reports 1,017 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 59.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 7% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 99.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 50% above the North Carolina average and 92% above the national baseline. The school offers 10 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 254 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 44.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cumberland County Schools spends $12,982 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.5% from local sources (property taxes), 57.7% from the state, and 25.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 E E Smith High 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 | 17:1 | ▲ 4% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.2% | ▲ 50% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,017 | top 90% | — | — |
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
99.2%
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
17:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 75% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
44.4%
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
$12,982
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 254 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
98
in-school suspensions + 159 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 8 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,017 Top 90% in North Carolina — larger than 10% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 59.0
Students per teacher 17:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 99.2% +50% vs state
NCES ID 370001102124
Student demographics
African American 64.9%
Hispanic or Latino 16.3%
White 9.6%
Two or More 7.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Asian 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 64.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 10
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 254:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 44.4%
In-school suspensions 98
Out-of-school suspensions 159
Expulsions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cumberland County Schools, which includes E E Smith High.
$12,982
Per student
0%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.5%
State 57.7%
Federal 25.7%
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
- 1,940
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,551
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,515
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,461
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,458
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
Similar high schools in Fayetteville
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Jack Britt High
Standard public school
1,940 students 18.9:1 students per teacher
Pine Forest High
Standard public school
1,551 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Cape Fear High
Standard public school
1,515 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Seventy-First High
Standard public school
1,332 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Westover High
Standard public school
1,234 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Terry Sanford High
Standard public school
1,201 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
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 E E Smith High
How many students attend E E Smith High?
E E Smith High has 1,017 students enrolled. It is a high school in Fayetteville, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at E E Smith High?
The student-teacher ratio at E E Smith High is 17:1, which is 4% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at E E Smith High?
99.2% of students at E E Smith High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of E E Smith High?
The largest demographic group at E E Smith High is African American at 64.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Fayetteville, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for E E Smith High?
E E Smith High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.