Enrollment
356
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 370162003409
Hawks Nest Steam Academy — Gastonia, NC
Federal NCES profile for Hawks Nest Steam Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 80
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: Gaston 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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hawks Nest Steam Academy 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
Hawks Nest Steam Academy reports 356 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% below the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 49% below the North Carolina average and 36% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 356 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 7.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Gaston County Schools spends $11,856 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.3% from local sources (property taxes), 64.3% from the state, and 19.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), 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 Hawks Nest Steam Academy 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 | 15.8:1 | ▼ 4% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.4% | ▼ 49% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 356 | top 30% | — | — |
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
33.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 49% 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
15.8:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 61% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
7.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$11,856
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 356 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 356 Top 30% in North Carolina — larger than 70% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 15.8:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.4% -49% vs state
NCES ID 370162003409
Student demographics
White 57.3%
African American 23.0%
Hispanic or Latino 10.1%
Two or More 5.1%
Asian 4.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 57.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 356:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 7.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gaston County Schools, which includes Hawks Nest Steam Academy.
$11,856
Per student
-9%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.3%
State 64.3%
Federal 19.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,386
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,165
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,133
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Enrollment
- 1,061
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 989
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
Similar elementary schools in Gastonia
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Hawks Nest Steam Academy
How many students attend Hawks Nest Steam Academy?
Hawks Nest Steam Academy has 356 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Gastonia, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hawks Nest Steam Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Hawks Nest Steam Academy is 15.8:1, which is 4% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hawks Nest Steam Academy?
33.4% of students at Hawks Nest Steam Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hawks Nest Steam Academy?
The largest demographic group at Hawks Nest Steam Academy is White at 57.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Gastonia, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hawks Nest Steam Academy?
Hawks Nest Steam Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.