Enrollment
185
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370201003443
Harnett County Early College — Dunn, NC
Federal NCES profile for Harnett County Early College, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 18
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 92
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: Harnett 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)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.4:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harnett County Early College 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
Harnett County Early College reports 185 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 5.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 24% above the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 28% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 31.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 52% below the North Carolina average and 39% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 3.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Harnett County Schools spends $11,473 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 13.4% from local sources (property taxes), 62.0% from the state, and 24.6% 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 Harnett County Early College 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 | 20.4:1 | ▲ 24% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.4% | ▼ 52% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 185 | top 10% | — | — |
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
31.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 52% 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
20.4:1
students per teacher
— 24% above state mean
Top 92% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
3.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$11,473
per pupil, district-wide
— below North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 185 Top 10% in North Carolina — larger than 90% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 5.0
Students per teacher 20.4:1 +24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 31.4% -52% vs state
NCES ID 370201003443
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 35.1%
White 33.5%
African American 20.5%
Two or More 7.0%
Asian 3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 35.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 3.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harnett County Schools, which includes Harnett County Early College.
$11,473
Per student
-12%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 13.4%
State 62.0%
Federal 24.6%
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
- 1,981
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,522
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 1,324
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,274
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,065
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
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 Harnett County Early College
How many students attend Harnett County Early College?
Harnett County Early College has 185 students enrolled. It is a high school in Dunn, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harnett County Early College?
The student-teacher ratio at Harnett County Early College is 20.4:1, which is 24% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 28% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Harnett County Early College?
31.4% of students at Harnett County Early College are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harnett County Early College?
The largest demographic group at Harnett County Early College is Hispanic or Latino at 35.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Dunn, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harnett County Early College?
Harnett County Early College has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.