Elementary school (grades K-5) · Matthews, NC

Elizabeth Lane Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Elizabeth Lane Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370297001881
0/100100/10051/100
👥 S:T ratio
36
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
30
📋 Attendance
69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Elizabeth Lane Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.

#1 of 4
elementary schools in Matthews · Resource Index
51
Resource Index · Higher
16:1
students per teacher
9.4%
free-lunch eligible

Elizabeth Lane Elementary has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Elizabeth Lane Elementary ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Matthews, NC.

Enrollment

702

North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

44.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

16:1

vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg

+1% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

9.4%

vs 66.0% North Carolina avg

-86% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Elizabeth Lane Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Elizabeth Lane Elementary

Elizabeth Lane Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Matthews, North Carolina, enrolling 702 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.

Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 9.4% free-meal eligibility runs 86% below the North Carolina average.

Enrollment of 702 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.

Against 108 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #25.

Its student body is led by White (66%) and Hispanic or Latino (14%) (diversity index 52/100).

Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 351 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.

12.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

Its district draws 15.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Matthews's elementary schools, it stands alongside Mint Hill Elementary School (864 students): Elizabeth Lane Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16:1 vs 22.2:1).

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools also operates Myers Park High School (3,225 students) and Ardrey Kell High School (3,036 students) alongside Elizabeth Lane 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 Elizabeth Lane Elementary compares

Elizabeth Lane 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 16:1 ▲ 1% 15.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 9.4% ▼ 86% 66.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 702 top 25% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
702
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
9.4%
free-lunch eligible - 86% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher - 1% above state mean
Top 62% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
12.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,853
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 351 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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 66.4%
Hispanic or Latino 13.5%
Asian 12.0%
African American 4.6%
Two or More 3.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Largest group: White at 66.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 52.3/100

Simpson diversity index - at 52.3, Elizabeth Lane 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 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, which includes Elizabeth Lane Elementary.

$11,853
Per student
-1%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.2%
State 52.1%
Federal 15.6%

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 Elizabeth Lane Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Myers Park High School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Ardrey Kell High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
South Mecklenburg High School Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
William Amos Hough High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
East Mecklenburg High School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Elizabeth Lane Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Matthews

3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Similar elementary 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Elizabeth Lane Elementary's federal record.

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 Elizabeth Lane Elementary

How many students attend Elizabeth Lane Elementary?

Elizabeth Lane Elementary has 702 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Matthews, NC.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Elizabeth Lane Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Elizabeth Lane Elementary is 16:1, which is 1% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Elizabeth Lane Elementary?

9.4% of students at Elizabeth Lane Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Elizabeth Lane Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Elizabeth Lane Elementary is White at 66.4% of enrollment, in Matthews, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.3/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Elizabeth Lane Elementary?

Elizabeth Lane Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (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).

How does Elizabeth Lane Elementary rank among elementary schools in Matthews?

By Resource Investment Index, Elizabeth Lane Elementary ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Matthews, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Matthews on the city page.

Is Elizabeth Lane Elementary a good school?

Elizabeth Lane Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. 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 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools?

Besides Elizabeth Lane Elementary, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools also operates Myers Park High School (3,225 students), Ardrey Kell High School (3,036 students), and South Mecklenburg High School (2,534 students). See the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.