Enrollment
659
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Kinston, NC
Kinston High
Federal NCES profile for Kinston High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370261000585
👥 S:T ratio 36
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kinston High earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Carolina schools.
- #4 of 13
- public schools in Kinston · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.1:1
- students per teacher
- 99.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Kinston High has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Kinston High ranks #4 of 13 public schools in Kinston, NC.
School address
District: Lenoir County Public Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370261000585 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.6%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kinston High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kinston High
Kinston High is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Kinston, North Carolina, enrolling 659 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.1:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 99.6% of students qualify for free meals, 51% above the North Carolina average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 659 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 487 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #124.
Its student body is predominantly African American (87% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 24/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 220 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 60.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 22.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 185 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 659 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Kinston's high schools, it stands alongside Lenoir County Early College High (246 students): Kinston High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.1:1 vs 30.8:1).
Lenoir County Public Schools also operates North Lenoir High (957 students) and Contentnea-Savannah School (789 students) alongside Kinston High.
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 Kinston High compares
Kinston High 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 | 16.1:1 | ▲ 2% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.6% | ▲ 51% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 659 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.1:1
Leaner classes than 37% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
659
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% above the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 64% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
60.5%
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
$12,373
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 220 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
55
in-school suspensions + 130 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 28.1 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
African American 86.9%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
Two or More 4.1%
White 2.4%
Asian 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 86.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.0, Kinston High is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lenoir County Public Schools, which includes Kinston High.
$12,373
Per student
+3%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 11.9%
State 65.3%
Federal 22.9%
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 Kinston High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Lenoir High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Contentnea-Savannah School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| South Lenoir High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Woodington Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| La Grange Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Kinston High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 957
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 789
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 721
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 584
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 547
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar high schools in Kinston
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 (~659 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kinston High's federal record.
- Compare Kinston High against another school. Compare schools
- Lenoir County Public 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 Kinston High
How many students attend Kinston High?
Kinston High has 659 students enrolled. It is a high school in Kinston, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kinston High?
The student-teacher ratio at Kinston High is 16.1:1, which is 2% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Kinston High?
99.6% of students at Kinston High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kinston High?
The largest demographic group at Kinston High is African American at 86.9% of enrollment, in Kinston, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kinston High?
Kinston High has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Kinston High rank among public schools in Kinston?
By Resource Investment Index, Kinston High ranks #4 of 13 public schools in Kinston, 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 Kinston on the city page.
Is Kinston High a good school?
Kinston High earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Lenoir County Public Schools?
Besides Kinston High, Lenoir County Public Schools also operates North Lenoir High (957 students), Contentnea-Savannah School (789 students), and South Lenoir High (721 students). See the Lenoir County Public 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.