Enrollment
344
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Highlands, NC
Highlands School
Federal NCES profile for Highlands School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370276001139
👥 S:T ratio 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 79
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highlands School earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of North Carolina schools.
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.1:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 33.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 344
- students enrolled
Highlands School has class sizes smaller than 94% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Macon County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370276001139 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.1:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highlands School compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highlands School
Highlands School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Highlands, North Carolina, enrolling 344 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.1:1, Highlands School is leaner than roughly 94% of North Carolina schools and 36% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 33.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 344 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 176 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #4, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (67%) and Hispanic or Latino (31%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 344 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.4% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 23.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Macon County Schools also operates Franklin High (996 students) and Mountain View Intermediate (614 students) alongside Highlands School.
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 Highlands School compares
Highlands School 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 | 10.1:1 | ▼ 36% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.4% | ▼ 49% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 344 | top 72% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.1:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
344
Bigger than 39% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
10.1:1
students per teacher
- 36% below state mean
Top 6% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
8.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$13,154
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 344 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
- 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 66.9%
Hispanic or Latino 31.1%
Two or More 1.2%
African American 0.3%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 66.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.6, Highlands School is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Macon County Schools, which includes Highlands School.
$13,154
Per student
+9%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.4%
State 56.4%
Federal 23.2%
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 Highlands School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mountain View Intermediate | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Macon Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Macon Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Iotla Valley Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highlands School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 996
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 614
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 576
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 408
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar other 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 (~344 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highlands School's federal record.
- Compare Highlands School against another school. Compare schools
- Macon 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 Highlands School
How many students attend Highlands School?
Highlands School has 344 students enrolled. It is a public school in Highlands, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highlands School?
The student-teacher ratio at Highlands School is 10.1:1, which is 36% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 36% 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 Highlands School?
33.4% of students at Highlands School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highlands School?
The largest demographic group at Highlands School is White at 66.9% of enrollment, in Highlands, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highlands School?
Highlands School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Highlands School a good school?
Highlands School earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of 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 Macon County Schools?
Besides Highlands School, Macon County Schools also operates Franklin High (996 students), Mountain View Intermediate (614 students), and Macon Middle School (576 students). See the Macon 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.