Enrollment
144
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Bakersville, NC
Gouge Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Gouge Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370300001295
👥 S:T ratio 70
🌟 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
Gouge Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of North Carolina schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Carolina schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Bakersville · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 7.6:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 59.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Gouge Elementary has class sizes smaller than 97% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Gouge Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Bakersville, NC.
School address
District: Mitchell County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370300001295 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.6:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-52% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.0%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gouge Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gouge Elementary
Gouge Elementary is a higher-need, small elementary school in Bakersville, North Carolina, enrolling 144 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.6:1, Gouge Elementary is leaner than roughly 97% of North Carolina schools and 52% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 59.0% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 93% of North Carolina schools, with 144 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 61 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #40.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 288 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 59.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Bakersville's elementary schools, it stands alongside Bowman Middle (202 students): Gouge Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (7.6:1 vs 14.4:1).
Mitchell County Schools also operates Mitchell High (482 students) and Greenlee Primary (246 students) alongside Gouge 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 Gouge Elementary compares
Gouge 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 | 7.6:1 | ▼ 52% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.0% | ▼ 11% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 144 | top 93% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.6:1
Leaner classes than 96% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
144
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% 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
7.6:1
students per teacher
- 52% below state mean
Top 3% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
59.0%
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
$13,939
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 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 93.8%
Hispanic or Latino 4.9%
Two or More 1.4%
Largest group: White at 93.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.8, Gouge Elementary is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mitchell County Schools, which includes Gouge Elementary.
$13,939
Per student
+16%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.5%
State 64.2%
Federal 17.4%
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 Gouge Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Greenlee Primary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harris Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Deyton Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bowman Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gouge Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 482
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 246
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 236
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 219
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar elementary schools in Bakersville
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~144 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gouge Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Gouge Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Mitchell 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 Gouge Elementary
How many students attend Gouge Elementary?
Gouge Elementary has 144 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Bakersville, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gouge Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Gouge Elementary is 7.6:1, which is 52% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 52% 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 Gouge Elementary?
59.0% of students at Gouge Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gouge Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Gouge Elementary is White at 93.8% of enrollment, in Bakersville, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gouge Elementary?
Gouge Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Gouge Elementary rank among public schools in Bakersville?
By Resource Investment Index, Gouge Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Bakersville, 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 Bakersville on the city page.
Is Gouge Elementary a good school?
Gouge Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of North Carolina schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Mitchell County Schools?
Besides Gouge Elementary, Mitchell County Schools also operates Mitchell High (482 students), Greenlee Primary (246 students), and Harris Middle (236 students). See the Mitchell 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.