Enrollment
611
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 370333001372
Emma B Trask Middle — Wilmington, NC
Federal NCES profile for Emma B Trask Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 69
📋 Attendance 8
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: New Hanover 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)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
97.2%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Emma B Trask 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
Emma B Trask Middle reports 611 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 47.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% 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 10% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 97.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 47% above the North Carolina average and 88% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 153 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding New Hanover County Schools spends $14,481 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.4% from local sources (property taxes), 51.7% from the state, and 18.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Emma B Trask 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 | 14.3:1 | ▼ 13% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 97.2% | ▲ 47% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 611 | top 66% | — | — |
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
97.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 47% 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
14.3:1
students per teacher
— 13% below state mean
Top 38% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
36.7%
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
$14,481
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 153 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
102
in-school suspensions + 62 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 26.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 611 Top 66% in North Carolina — larger than 34% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 47.0
Students per teacher 14.3:1 -13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 97.2% +47% vs state
NCES ID 370333001372
Student demographics
White 49.3%
Hispanic or Latino 22.6%
African American 16.4%
Two or More 8.2%
Asian 3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 49.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 153:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.7%
In-school suspensions 102
Out-of-school suspensions 62
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for New Hanover County Schools, which includes Emma B Trask Middle.
$14,481
Per student
+11%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.4%
State 51.7%
Federal 18.8%
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
- 2,243
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 2,082
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,893
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,437
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 907
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
Similar middle schools in Wilmington
5 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Charles P Murray Middle
Standard public school
907 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Roland-Grise Middle
Standard public school
878 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
M C S Noble Middle
Standard public school
690 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Williston Middle
Standard public school
666 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
Myrtle Grove Middle
Standard public school
600 students 15.7:1 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 Emma B Trask Middle
How many students attend Emma B Trask Middle?
Emma B Trask Middle has 611 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Wilmington, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Emma B Trask Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Emma B Trask Middle is 14.3:1, which is 13% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 10% lower 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 Emma B Trask Middle?
97.2% of students at Emma B Trask Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Emma B Trask Middle?
The largest demographic group at Emma B Trask Middle is White at 49.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Wilmington, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Emma B Trask Middle?
Emma B Trask Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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.