Enrollment
293
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Bennett, NC
Highfalls Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Highfalls Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370309001319
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 17
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highfalls Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Carolina schools.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14:1
- students per teacher
- 41.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 293
- students enrolled
Highfalls Elementary has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Moore County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370309001319 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.0%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highfalls Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highfalls Elementary
Highfalls Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Bennett, North Carolina, enrolling 293 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14:1 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 41.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 293 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 197 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #142, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 293 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Moore County Schools also operates Pinecrest High (2,290 students) and Union Pines High (1,462 students) alongside Highfalls 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 Highfalls Elementary compares
Highfalls 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 | 14:1 | ▼ 11% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.0% | ▼ 38% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 293 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14:1
Leaner classes than 57% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
293
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
14:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 35% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
33.4%
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
$11,242
per pupil, district-wide
- below North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 293 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.8 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 86.7%
Hispanic or Latino 9.2%
Two or More 2.7%
Asian 0.7%
African American 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 86.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.9, Highfalls 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 Moore County Schools, which includes Highfalls Elementary.
$11,242
Per student
-6%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.6%
State 57.2%
Federal 19.2%
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 Highfalls Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinecrest High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Union Pines High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Pine Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mcdeeds Creek Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Aberdeen Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highfalls Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,290
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,462
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 717
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 707
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 675
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~293 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highfalls Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Highfalls Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Moore 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 Highfalls Elementary
How many students attend Highfalls Elementary?
Highfalls Elementary has 293 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Bennett, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highfalls Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Highfalls Elementary is 14:1, which is 11% 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 Highfalls Elementary?
41.0% of students at Highfalls Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highfalls Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Highfalls Elementary is White at 86.7% of enrollment, in Bennett, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highfalls Elementary?
Highfalls Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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).
Is Highfalls Elementary a good school?
Highfalls Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. 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 Moore County Schools?
Besides Highfalls Elementary, Moore County Schools also operates Pinecrest High (2,290 students), Union Pines High (1,462 students), and West Pine Middle (717 students). See the Moore 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.