Enrollment
200
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Marion, NC
Foothills Community School
Federal NCES profile for Foothills Community School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 370294003353
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Foothills Community School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of North Carolina schools.
- #1 of 3
- middle schools in Marion · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.7:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 44.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Foothills Community School has class sizes larger than 70% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Foothills Community School ranks #1 of 3 middle schools in Marion, NC.
School address
District: Mcdowell County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370294003353 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.7:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.7%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Foothills Community School compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Foothills Community School
Foothills Community School is a small middle school in Marion, North Carolina, enrolling 200 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.7:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 44.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 200 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 120 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #74.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 200 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Marion's middle schools, it stands alongside West Mcdowell Middle School (550 students): Foothills Community School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.7:1 vs 13.8:1).
Mcdowell County Schools also operates Mcdowell High School (1,379 students) and West Mcdowell Middle School (550 students) alongside Foothills Community 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 Foothills Community School compares
Foothills Community 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 | 16.7:1 | ▲ 6% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.7% | ▼ 32% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 200 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.7:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
200
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 32% 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
16.7:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 70% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.0%
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
$12,857
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 200 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 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 82.0%
Hispanic or Latino 11.0%
Two or More 5.0%
African American 2.0%
Largest group: White at 82.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.3, Foothills Community School is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mcdowell County Schools, which includes Foothills Community School.
$12,857
Per student
+7%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.9%
State 58.7%
Federal 24.4%
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 Foothills Community School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mcdowell High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| West Mcdowell Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Glenwood Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Mcdowell Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| West Marion Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Foothills Community School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,379
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 550
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 435
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 392
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 390
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar middle schools in Marion
2 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.
Similar enrollment (~200 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Foothills Community School's federal record.
- Compare Foothills Community School against another school. Compare schools
- Mcdowell 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 Foothills Community School
How many students attend Foothills Community School?
Foothills Community School has 200 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Marion, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Foothills Community School?
The student-teacher ratio at Foothills Community School is 16.7:1, which is 6% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Foothills Community School?
44.7% of students at Foothills Community School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Foothills Community School?
The largest demographic group at Foothills Community School is White at 82.0% of enrollment, in Marion, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Foothills Community School?
Foothills Community School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical 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 Foothills Community School rank among middle schools in Marion?
By Resource Investment Index, Foothills Community School ranks #1 of 3 middle schools in Marion, 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 Marion on the city page.
Is Foothills Community School a good school?
Foothills Community School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of North Carolina schools. 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 Mcdowell County Schools?
Besides Foothills Community School, Mcdowell County Schools also operates Mcdowell High School (1,379 students), West Mcdowell Middle School (550 students), and Glenwood Elementary School (435 students). See the Mcdowell 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.