Enrollment
874
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Kill Devil Hills, NC
First Flight High School
Federal NCES profile for First Flight High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370111002724
👥 S:T ratio 34
📚 AP courses 85
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
First Flight High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Kill Devil Hills · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.5:1
- students per teacher
- 25.8%
- free-lunch eligible
First Flight High School has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, First Flight High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Kill Devil Hills, NC.
School address
District: Dare County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370111002724 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How First Flight High School compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at First Flight High School
First Flight High School is a large high school in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, enrolling 874 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.5:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 25.8% free-meal eligibility runs 61% below the North Carolina average.
Enrollment of 874 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 283 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #218, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 17 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 291 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Dare County Schools also operates Manteo Elementary School (636 students) and First Flight Middle School (604 students) alongside First Flight High School.
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 First Flight High School compares
First Flight High School 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 | 16.5:1 | ▲ 4% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.8% | ▼ 61% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 874 | top 14% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
874
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
25.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 61% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 68% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
42.6%
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
$13,375
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 291 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
49
in-school suspensions + 65 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.0 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 80.3%
Hispanic or Latino 12.9%
Two or More 5.3%
Asian 1.0%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 80.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.6, First Flight High School is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 17
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dare County Schools, which includes First Flight High School.
$13,375
Per student
+11%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.1%
State 51.5%
Federal 12.4%
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 First Flight High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manteo Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| First Flight Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Manteo High School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Kitty Hawk Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Nags Head Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to First Flight High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 636
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 604
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 487
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 484
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
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 (~874 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on First Flight High School's federal record.
- Compare First Flight High School against another school. Compare schools
- Dare 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 First Flight High School
How many students attend First Flight High School?
First Flight High School has 874 students enrolled. It is a high school in Kill Devil Hills, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at First Flight High School?
The student-teacher ratio at First Flight High School is 16.5:1, which is 4% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at First Flight High School?
25.8% of students at First Flight High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of First Flight High School?
The largest demographic group at First Flight High School is White at 80.3% of enrollment, in Kill Devil Hills, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for First Flight High School?
First Flight High School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 First Flight High School rank among public schools in Kill Devil Hills?
By Resource Investment Index, First Flight High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Kill Devil Hills, 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 Kill Devil Hills on the city page.
Is First Flight High School a good school?
First Flight High School earns 46/100 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 Dare County Schools?
Besides First Flight High School, Dare County Schools also operates Manteo Elementary School (636 students), First Flight Middle School (604 students), and Manteo High School (528 students). See the Dare 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.