Enrollment
1,051
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Candler, NC
Enka High
Federal NCES profile for Enka High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370045000147
👥 S:T ratio 35
📚 AP courses 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 8
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Enka High earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #6 of 6
- public schools in Candler · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.2:1
- students per teacher
- 51.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Enka High has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Enka High ranks #6 of 6 public schools in Candler, NC.
School address
District: Buncombe County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370045000147 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
65.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Enka High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Enka High
Enka High is a higher-need, large high school in Candler, North Carolina, enrolling 1,051 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.2:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 51.5% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Carolina, bigger than 91% of state schools at 1,051 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 285 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #84.
Its student body is led by White (68%) and Hispanic or Latino (25%) (diversity index 48/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 12 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 263 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 333 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,051 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Buncombe County Schools also operates Roberson High (1,479 students) and Reynolds High (1,169 students) alongside Enka 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 Enka High compares
Enka 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 | 16.2:1 | ▲ 3% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.5% | ▼ 22% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,051 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,051
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 22% 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
16.2:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 65% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
36.8%
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
$13,190
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 263 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
208
in-school suspensions + 125 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 31.7 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 67.6%
Hispanic or Latino 25.3%
African American 3.8%
Two or More 2.5%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 67.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.7, Enka High is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 12
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buncombe County Schools, which includes Enka High.
$13,190
Per student
+10%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.2%
State 49.5%
Federal 21.3%
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 Enka High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roberson High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Reynolds High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Erwin High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| North Buncombe High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Estes Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Enka High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,479
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 1,169
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,013
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 896
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 754
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
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 (~1,051 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Enka High's federal record.
- Compare Enka High against another school. Compare schools
- Buncombe 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 Enka High
How many students attend Enka High?
Enka High has 1,051 students enrolled. It is a high school in Candler, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Enka High?
The student-teacher ratio at Enka High is 16.2:1, which is 3% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Enka High?
51.5% of students at Enka High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Enka High?
The largest demographic group at Enka High is White at 67.6% of enrollment, in Candler, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Enka High?
Enka High has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Enka High rank among public schools in Candler?
By Resource Investment Index, Enka High ranks #6 of 6 public schools in Candler, 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 Candler on the city page.
Is Enka High a good school?
Enka High earns 44/100 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 Buncombe County Schools?
Besides Enka High, Buncombe County Schools also operates Roberson High (1,479 students), Reynolds High (1,169 students), and Erwin High (1,013 students). See the Buncombe 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.