Enrollment
661
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Valdese, NC
Jimmy C Draughn High School
Federal NCES profile for Jimmy C Draughn High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370048002836
👥 S:T ratio 26
📚 AP courses 70
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Jimmy C Draughn High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of North Carolina schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Valdese · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.4:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 47.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Jimmy C Draughn High School has class sizes larger than 83% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Jimmy C Draughn High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Valdese, NC.
School address
District: Burke County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370048002836 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.7%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jimmy C Draughn High School compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Jimmy C Draughn High School
Jimmy C Draughn High School is a mid-sized high school in Valdese, North Carolina, enrolling 661 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.4:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 47.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 661 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 470 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #363, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and Hispanic or Latino (10%) (diversity index 42/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 14 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 331 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Burke County Schools also operates Freedom High (1,299 students) and East Burke High (874 students) alongside Jimmy C Draughn High 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 Jimmy C Draughn High School compares
Jimmy C Draughn High 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 | 18.4:1 | ▲ 16% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.7% | ▼ 28% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 661 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.4:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
661
Bigger than 78% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
47.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
18.4:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 83% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
45.4%
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
$11,845
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 331 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
47
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.6 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 74.9%
Hispanic or Latino 10.4%
Asian 6.5%
Two or More 5.4%
African American 2.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
Largest group: White at 74.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.1, Jimmy C Draughn High School is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 14
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Burke County Schools, which includes Jimmy C Draughn High School.
$11,845
Per student
-1%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.2%
State 61.7%
Federal 23.1%
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 Jimmy C Draughn High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Burke High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mountain View Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Robert L. Patton High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Burke Middle | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Jimmy C Draughn High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,299
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 874
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 762
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 756
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 630
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar high 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 (~661 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Jimmy C Draughn High School's federal record.
- Compare Jimmy C Draughn High School against another school. Compare schools
- Burke 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 Jimmy C Draughn High School
How many students attend Jimmy C Draughn High School?
Jimmy C Draughn High School has 661 students enrolled. It is a high school in Valdese, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jimmy C Draughn High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Jimmy C Draughn High School is 18.4:1, which is 16% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Jimmy C Draughn High School?
47.7% of students at Jimmy C Draughn High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jimmy C Draughn High School?
The largest demographic group at Jimmy C Draughn High School is White at 74.9% of enrollment, in Valdese, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jimmy C Draughn High School?
Jimmy C Draughn High School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Jimmy C Draughn High School rank among public schools in Valdese?
By Resource Investment Index, Jimmy C Draughn High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Valdese, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Valdese on the city page.
Is Jimmy C Draughn High School a good school?
Jimmy C Draughn High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% 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 Burke County Schools?
Besides Jimmy C Draughn High School, Burke County Schools also operates Freedom High (1,299 students), East Burke High (874 students), and Mountain View Elementary (762 students). See the Burke 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.