Enrollment
236
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Spruce Pine, NC
Harris Middle
Federal NCES profile for Harris Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 370300001296
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Harris Middle earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Spruce Pine · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.9:1
- students per teacher
- 57.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Harris Middle has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Harris Middle ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Spruce Pine, NC.
School address
District: Mitchell County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370300001296 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.6%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harris Middle compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Harris Middle
Harris Middle is a higher-need, small middle school in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, enrolling 236 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.6% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 236 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 172 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #83.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 236 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.9% 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.
Mitchell County Schools also operates Mitchell High (482 students) and Greenlee Primary (246 students) alongside Harris Middle.
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 Harris Middle compares
Harris Middle 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 | 13.9:1 | ▼ 12% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.6% | ▼ 13% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 236 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
236
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 13% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 34% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
30.9%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 236 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.1 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mitchell County Schools, which includes Harris Middle.
$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 Harris Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Greenlee Primary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Deyton Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bowman Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gouge Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Harris Middle'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
- 219
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 144
- Students per teacher
- 7.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
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 (~236 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Harris Middle's federal record.
- Compare Harris Middle 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 Harris Middle
How many students attend Harris Middle?
Harris Middle has 236 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Spruce Pine, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harris Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Harris Middle is 13.9:1, which is 12% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 11% 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 Harris Middle?
57.6% of students at Harris Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harris Middle?
Harris Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Harris Middle rank among public schools in Spruce Pine?
By Resource Investment Index, Harris Middle ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Spruce Pine, 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 Spruce Pine on the city page.
Is Harris Middle a good school?
Harris Middle earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. 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 Harris Middle, Mitchell County Schools also operates Mitchell High (482 students), Greenlee Primary (246 students), and Deyton Elementary (219 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.