Middle school (grades 6-8) · Salisbury, NC

Erwin Middle

Federal NCES profile for Erwin Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 370405001611
0/100100/10027/100
👥 S:T ratio
36
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Erwin Middle earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.

#1 of 4
middle schools in Salisbury · Resource Index
27
Resource Index · Lower
15.9:1
students per teacher
55.7%
free-lunch eligible

Erwin Middle has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Erwin Middle ranks #1 of 4 middle schools in Salisbury, NC.

Enrollment

763

North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

48.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

15.9:1

vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg

+1% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

55.7%

vs 66.0% North Carolina avg

-16% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Erwin Middle 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 Erwin Middle

Erwin Middle is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Salisbury, North Carolina, enrolling 763 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.9:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 55.7% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

Enrollment of 763 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Among 442 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #409, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (68%) and African American (14%) (diversity index 50/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 763 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 48.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Discipline events run high: 263 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 763 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

Among Salisbury's middle schools, it stands alongside West Rowan Middle (707 students): Erwin Middle is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.9:1 vs 19.1:1).

Rowan-Salisbury Schools also operates Carson High (1,063 students) and West Rowan High (988 students) alongside Erwin Middle.

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 Erwin Middle compares

Erwin Middle 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 15.9:1 ▲ 1% 15.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 55.7% ▼ 16% 66.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 763 top 20% - -

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

15.9:1
Leaner classes than 39% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
763
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
55.7%
free-lunch eligible - 16% 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
15.9:1
students per teacher - 1% above state mean
Top 61% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
48.9%
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
$11,832
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 763 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
147
in-school suspensions + 116 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 34.5 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 67.8%
African American 13.6%
Hispanic or Latino 12.2%
Two or More 5.4%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%

Largest group: White at 67.8% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 50.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 50.4, Erwin Middle is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rowan-Salisbury Schools, which includes Erwin Middle.

$11,832
Per student
-2%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.6%
State 60.4%
Federal 21.0%

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 Erwin Middle Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Carson High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
West Rowan High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
East Rowan High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
South Rowan High Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Salisbury High Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Erwin Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Rowan-Salisbury Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar middle schools in Salisbury

3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.

Similar middle 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 Erwin Middle'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 Erwin Middle

How many students attend Erwin Middle?

Erwin Middle has 763 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Salisbury, NC.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Erwin Middle?

The student-teacher ratio at Erwin Middle is 15.9:1, which is 1% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Erwin Middle?

55.7% of students at Erwin Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Erwin Middle?

The largest demographic group at Erwin Middle is White at 67.8% of enrollment, in Salisbury, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.4/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Erwin Middle?

Erwin Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower 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 Erwin Middle rank among middle schools in Salisbury?

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

Is Erwin Middle a good school?

Erwin Middle earns 27/100 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 Rowan-Salisbury Schools?

Besides Erwin Middle, Rowan-Salisbury Schools also operates Carson High (1,063 students), West Rowan High (988 students), and East Rowan High (986 students). See the Rowan-Salisbury 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.