Enrollment
763
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370040403401 Charter school
Fernleaf — Fletcher, NC
Federal NCES profile for Fernleaf, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 24
📋 Attendance 65
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: Fernleaf Community Charter School · 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)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fernleaf 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
Fernleaf reports 763 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 37.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% 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 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 382 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 13.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fernleaf Community Charter School spends $14,021 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.1% from local sources (property taxes), 66.0% from the state, and 6.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Fernleaf 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 | 14.1:1 | ▼ 14% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 763 | top 80% | — | — |
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.
Staffing depth
14.1:1
students per teacher
— 14% below state mean
Top 35% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
13.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$14,021
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 382 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 29 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 763 Top 80% in North Carolina — larger than 20% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 37.0
Students per teacher 14.1:1 -14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 370040403401
Student demographics
White 84.9%
Hispanic or Latino 6.8%
Two or More 6.4%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 84.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 382:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 13.9%
In-school suspensions 25
Out-of-school suspensions 29
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fernleaf Community Charter School, which includes Fernleaf.
$14,021
Per student
+8%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.1%
State 66.0%
Federal 6.9%
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.
Similar other schools in Fletcher
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Fernleaf
How many students attend Fernleaf?
Fernleaf has 763 students enrolled. It is a other school in Fletcher, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fernleaf?
The student-teacher ratio at Fernleaf is 14.1:1, which is 14% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fernleaf?
The largest demographic group at Fernleaf is White at 84.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Fletcher, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fernleaf?
Fernleaf has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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.