Enrollment
604
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 370111002291
First Flight Middle School — Kill Devil Hills, NC
Federal NCES profile for First Flight Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 38
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: Dare County Schools · 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)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.1%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How First Flight Middle School 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
First Flight Middle School reports 604 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 46.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% 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 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 29.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 56% below the North Carolina average and 44% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 302 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dare County Schools spends $14,049 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.1% from local sources (property taxes), 51.5% from the state, and 12.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 First Flight Middle School 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 | 13.3:1 | ▼ 19% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.1% | ▼ 56% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 604 | top 65% | — | — |
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.
Economic need
29.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 56% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.3:1
students per teacher
— 19% below state mean
Top 24% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
25.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,049
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 302 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
73
in-school suspensions + 72 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 604 Top 65% in North Carolina — larger than 35% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 46.0
Students per teacher 13.3:1 -19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 29.1% -56% vs state
NCES ID 370111002291
Student demographics
White 76.7%
Hispanic or Latino 17.2%
Two or More 4.6%
Asian 0.8%
African American 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 76.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 302:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.0%
In-school suspensions 73
Out-of-school suspensions 72
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dare County Schools, which includes First Flight Middle School.
$14,049
Per student
+8%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 874
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 636
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 487
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Enrollment
- 484
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
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 First Flight Middle School
How many students attend First Flight Middle School?
First Flight Middle School has 604 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Kill Devil Hills, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at First Flight Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at First Flight Middle School is 13.3:1, which is 19% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 16% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at First Flight Middle School?
29.1% of students at First Flight Middle 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 Middle School?
The largest demographic group at First Flight Middle School is White at 76.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Kill Devil Hills, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for First Flight Middle School?
First Flight Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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.