Enrollment
510
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 370009002148
East Alexander Middle — Hiddenite, NC
Federal NCES profile for East Alexander Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 40
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: Alexander 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)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How East Alexander 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
East Alexander Middle reports 510 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 35.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% 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 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 57.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% below the North Carolina average and 11% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 255 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Alexander County Schools spends $13,412 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.3% from local sources (property taxes), 63.6% from the state, and 20.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), 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 East Alexander 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 | 16:1 | ▼ 2% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.4% | ▼ 13% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 510 | top 53% | — | — |
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
57.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% below 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
16:1
students per teacher
— 2% below state mean
Top 64% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.1%
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
$13,412
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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 255 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
109
in-school suspensions + 52 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 21.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 31.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 510 Top 53% in North Carolina — larger than 47% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 35.0
Students per teacher 16:1 -2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 57.4% -13% vs state
NCES ID 370009002148
Student demographics
White 73.5%
Hispanic or Latino 16.3%
African American 5.3%
Two or More 3.9%
Asian 1.0%
Largest group: White at 73.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 255:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.1%
In-school suspensions 109
Out-of-school suspensions 52
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alexander County Schools, which includes East Alexander Middle.
$13,412
Per student
+3%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.3%
State 63.6%
Federal 20.1%
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
- 1,254
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 467
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 435
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 370
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 294
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
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 East Alexander Middle
How many students attend East Alexander Middle?
East Alexander Middle has 510 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Hiddenite, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at East Alexander Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at East Alexander Middle is 16:1, which is 2% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at East Alexander Middle?
57.4% of students at East Alexander Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of East Alexander Middle?
The largest demographic group at East Alexander Middle is White at 73.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Hiddenite, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for East Alexander Middle?
East Alexander Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) 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.