Enrollment
302
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Etowah, NC
Etowah Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Etowah Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370210000918
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Etowah Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.4:1
- students per teacher
- 46.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 302
- students enrolled
Etowah Elementary has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Henderson County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370210000918 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.9%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Etowah Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Etowah Elementary
Etowah Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Etowah, North Carolina, enrolling 302 students.
At 14.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the North Carolina median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 46.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 302 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 229 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #75.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 39/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 302 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Henderson County Schools also operates West Henderson High (1,053 students) and North Henderson High (1,052 students) alongside Etowah 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 Etowah Elementary compares
Etowah 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 | 14.4:1 | ▼ 9% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.9% | ▼ 29% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 302 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.4:1
Leaner classes than 53% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
302
Bigger than 33% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 29% 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
14.4:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 41% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
21.5%
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
$11,469
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 302 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.0 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 75.5%
Hispanic or Latino 18.2%
Two or More 5.0%
African American 1.0%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 75.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.4, Etowah 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 Henderson County Schools, which includes Etowah Elementary.
$11,469
Per student
-5%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.8%
State 58.3%
Federal 19.9%
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 Etowah Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Henderson High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| North Henderson High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Henderson High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rugby Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Apple Valley Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Etowah Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,053
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,052
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 932
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 849
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 820
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar other 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 (~302 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Etowah Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Etowah Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Henderson 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 Etowah Elementary
How many students attend Etowah Elementary?
Etowah Elementary has 302 students enrolled. It is a public school in Etowah, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Etowah Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Etowah Elementary is 14.4:1, which is 9% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Etowah Elementary?
46.9% of students at Etowah Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Etowah Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Etowah Elementary is White at 75.5% of enrollment, in Etowah, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Etowah Elementary?
Etowah Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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).
Is Etowah Elementary a good school?
Etowah Elementary earns 50/100 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 Henderson County Schools?
Besides Etowah Elementary, Henderson County Schools also operates West Henderson High (1,053 students), North Henderson High (1,052 students), and East Henderson High (932 students). See the Henderson 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.