Enrollment
762
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 370201003309
Highland Middle — Sanford, NC
Federal NCES profile for Highland Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 27/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
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 →
The verdict
Highland Middle earns an F Resource Investment Index (27/100), with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- F
- Resource Index · 27/100
- 15.6:1
- students per teacher
- 58.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 762
- students enrolled
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)
56.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.7%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland Middle 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
Highland Middle reports 762 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 56.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% 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 2% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 58.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 11% below the North Carolina average and 13% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 762 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 59.2% 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 27/100 (F), 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 Highland Middle 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 | 15.6:1 | ▼ 5% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.7% | ▼ 11% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 762 | top 79% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
16 smaller classes than 43% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
762 larger than 84% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
58.7%
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
15.6:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 58% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
59.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 762 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
188
in-school suspensions + 197 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 24.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 50.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 21 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 762 Top 79% in North Carolina — larger than 21% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 56.0
Students per teacher 15.6:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 58.7% -11% vs state
NCES ID 370201003309
Student demographics
White 41.7%
Hispanic or Latino 29.1%
African American 17.7%
Two or More 9.1%
Asian 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 41.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 762:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 59.2%
In-school suspensions 188
Out-of-school suspensions 197
Expulsions 21
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harnett County Schools, which includes Highland Middle.
$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
Similar middle schools in Sanford
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Highland Middle
How many students attend Highland Middle?
Highland Middle has 762 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Sanford, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland Middle is 15.6:1, which is 5% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 2% 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 Highland Middle?
58.7% of students at Highland Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland Middle?
The largest demographic group at Highland Middle is White at 41.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Sanford, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Middle?
Highland Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (F) 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.