Enrollment
421
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 370005502376 Charter school
Kestrel Heights School — Durham, NC
Federal NCES profile for Kestrel Heights School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 56/100.
👥 Class size 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 55
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: Kestrel Heights School · 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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.2%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kestrel Heights School 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
Kestrel Heights School reports 421 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 8% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 50.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 24% below the North Carolina average and 3% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 211 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Kestrel Heights School spends $12,620 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.8% from local sources (property taxes), 56.2% from the state, and 11.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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 Kestrel Heights School 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 | 14.6:1 | ▼ 11% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.2% | ▼ 24% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 421 | top 40% | — | — |
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
50.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 24% 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
14.6:1
students per teacher
— 11% below state mean
Top 43% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
18.1%
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
$12,620
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 211 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 41 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 421 Top 40% in North Carolina — larger than 60% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 14.6:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 50.2% -24% vs state
NCES ID 370005502376
Student demographics
African American 58.0%
Hispanic or Latino 20.4%
Two or More 7.8%
White 6.9%
Asian 6.9%
Largest group: African American at 58.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 211:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 41
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kestrel Heights School, which includes Kestrel Heights School.
$12,620
Per student
-3%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.8%
State 56.2%
Federal 11.0%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Durham
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Research Triangle Charter
Standard public school
710 students 21:1 students per teacher
Forest View Elementary
Standard public school
662 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Maureen Joy Charter School
Standard public school
631 students
Central Park School for Child
Standard public school
585 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Creekside Elementary
Standard public school
554 students 12.3:1 students per teacher
Hope Valley Elementary
Standard public school
539 students 12.5:1 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 Kestrel Heights School
How many students attend Kestrel Heights School?
Kestrel Heights School has 421 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Durham, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kestrel Heights School?
The student-teacher ratio at Kestrel Heights School is 14.6:1, which is 11% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 8% 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 Kestrel Heights School?
50.2% of students at Kestrel Heights School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kestrel Heights School?
The largest demographic group at Kestrel Heights School is African American at 58.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Durham, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kestrel Heights School?
Kestrel Heights School has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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.