Enrollment
917
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Mount Holly, NC
East Gaston High
Federal NCES profile for East Gaston High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370162000681
👥 S:T ratio 24
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 2
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
East Gaston High earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of North Carolina schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Mount Holly · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.1:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 43.5%
- free-lunch eligible
East Gaston High has class sizes larger than 87% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, East Gaston High ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Mount Holly, NC.
School address
District: Gaston County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370162000681 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How East Gaston High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at East Gaston High
East Gaston High is a large high school in Mount Holly, North Carolina, enrolling 917 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.1:1 is larger than about 87% of North Carolina schools and 21% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 43.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 917 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 387 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #263.
Its student body is led by White (61%) and Hispanic or Latino (20%) (diversity index 57/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 11 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 283 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Gaston County Schools also operates Ashbrook High (1,386 students) and Hunter Huss High (1,165 students) alongside East Gaston High.
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 East Gaston High compares
East Gaston High 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 | 19.1:1 | ▲ 21% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.5% | ▼ 34% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 917 | top 12% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.1:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
917
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 34% 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
19.1:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 87% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
39.1%
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
$11,409
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors3.2 FTE
Per 283 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 62 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.2 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 61.4%
Hispanic or Latino 19.7%
African American 12.8%
Two or More 4.8%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 61.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.5, East Gaston High is about as mixed as the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gaston County Schools, which includes East Gaston High.
$11,409
Per student
-5%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.3%
State 64.3%
Federal 19.4%
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 East Gaston High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashbrook High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hunter Huss High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Forestview High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Gaston High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| South Point High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to East Gaston High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,386
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,165
- Students per teacher
- 25.3:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 1,133
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,061
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 989
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
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 (~917 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on East Gaston High's federal record.
- Compare East Gaston High against another school. Compare schools
- Gaston 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 East Gaston High
How many students attend East Gaston High?
East Gaston High has 917 students enrolled. It is a high school in Mount Holly, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at East Gaston High?
The student-teacher ratio at East Gaston High is 19.1:1, which is 21% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 22% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at East Gaston High?
43.5% of students at East Gaston High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of East Gaston High?
The largest demographic group at East Gaston High is White at 61.4% of enrollment, in Mount Holly, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for East Gaston High?
East Gaston High has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does East Gaston High rank among public schools in Mount Holly?
By Resource Investment Index, East Gaston High ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Mount Holly, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Mount Holly on the city page.
Is East Gaston High a good school?
East Gaston High earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of 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 Gaston County Schools?
Besides East Gaston High, Gaston County Schools also operates Ashbrook High (1,386 students), Hunter Huss High (1,165 students), and Forestview High (1,133 students). See the Gaston 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.