Enrollment
252
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Gatesville, NC
Gatesville Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Gatesville Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370168000721
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gatesville Elementary earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of North Carolina schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Gatesville · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 56.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Gatesville Elementary has class sizes smaller than 87% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Gatesville Elementary ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Gatesville, NC.
School address
District: Gates County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370168000721 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.9%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gatesville Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gatesville Elementary
Gatesville Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Gatesville, North Carolina, enrolling 252 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12:1, Gatesville Elementary is leaner than roughly 87% of North Carolina schools and 24% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 56.9% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 252 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 198 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #39.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and African American (20%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 252 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Gates County Schools spends $16,417 per pupil, 37% above the North Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 17.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Gates County Schools also operates Gates County Senior High (432 students) and Central Middle School (336 students) alongside Gatesville 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 Gatesville Elementary compares
Gatesville 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 | 12:1 | ▼ 24% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.9% | ▼ 14% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 252 | top 83% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
252
Bigger than 26% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
56.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% 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
12:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 13% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.2%
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
$16,417
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 252 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.1 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 62.3%
African American 20.2%
Two or More 12.3%
Hispanic or Latino 4.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 62.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.4, Gatesville Elementary is about as mixed as the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gates County Schools, which includes Gatesville Elementary.
$16,417
Per student
+37%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.1%
State 65.1%
Federal 17.8%
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 Gatesville Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gates County Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Central Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Buckland Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| T S Cooper Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gatesville Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 432
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 336
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 220
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 170
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
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 (~252 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gatesville Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Gatesville Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Gates 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 Gatesville Elementary
How many students attend Gatesville Elementary?
Gatesville Elementary has 252 students enrolled. It is a public school in Gatesville, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gatesville Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Gatesville Elementary is 12:1, which is 24% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 24% 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 Gatesville Elementary?
56.9% of students at Gatesville Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gatesville Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Gatesville Elementary is White at 62.3% of enrollment, in Gatesville, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gatesville Elementary?
Gatesville Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (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).
How does Gatesville Elementary rank among public schools in Gatesville?
By Resource Investment Index, Gatesville Elementary ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Gatesville, 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 Gatesville on the city page.
Is Gatesville Elementary a good school?
Gatesville Elementary earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% 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 Gates County Schools?
Besides Gatesville Elementary, Gates County Schools also operates Gates County Senior High (432 students), Central Middle School (336 students), and Buckland Elementary (220 students). See the Gates 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.