Enrollment
596
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370472002033
Hilburn Drive Academy — Raleigh, NC
Federal NCES profile for Hilburn Drive Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 51
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: Wake 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)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.9%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hilburn Drive 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
Hilburn Drive Academy reports 596 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 49.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 22% 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 19% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 26.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 59% below the North Carolina average and 48% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 298 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Wake County Schools spends $14,074 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.9% from local sources (property taxes), 54.5% from the state, and 16.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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 Hilburn Drive 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 22% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.9% | ▼ 59% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 596 | top 64% | — | — |
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
26.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 59% 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
— 22% below state mean
Top 18% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
19.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$14,074
per pupil, district-wide
— above North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 298 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 596 Top 64% in North Carolina — larger than 36% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 49.0
Students per teacher 12.8:1 -22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 26.9% -59% vs state
NCES ID 370472002033
Student demographics
White 44.8%
African American 22.0%
Hispanic or Latino 17.1%
Two or More 8.7%
Asian 7.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 44.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 298:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.5%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wake County Schools, which includes Hilburn Drive Academy.
$14,074
Per student
+8%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.9%
State 54.5%
Federal 16.6%
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
- 2,748
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 2,643
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,609
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,498
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,449
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
Similar other schools in Raleigh
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Harris Creek Elementary
Standard public school
827 students 14:1 students per teacher
Abbotts Creek Elementary
Standard public school
805 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Sycamore Creek Elementary
Standard public school
778 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Rogers Lane Elementary
Standard public school
763 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
North Ridge Elementary
Standard public school
730 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
River Bend Elementary
Standard public school
709 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
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 Hilburn Drive Academy
How many students attend Hilburn Drive Academy?
Hilburn Drive Academy has 596 students enrolled. It is a other school in Raleigh, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hilburn Drive Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Hilburn Drive Academy is 12.8:1, which is 22% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 19% 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 Hilburn Drive Academy?
26.9% of students at Hilburn Drive Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hilburn Drive Academy?
The largest demographic group at Hilburn Drive Academy is White at 44.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Raleigh, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hilburn Drive Academy?
Hilburn Drive Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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.