Enrollment
475
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Salemburg, NC
Lakewood High
Federal NCES profile for Lakewood High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370414001674
👥 S:T ratio 41
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lakewood High earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.8:1
- students per teacher
- 99.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 475
- students enrolled
Lakewood High has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Sampson County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370414001674 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lakewood High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lakewood High
Lakewood High is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Salemburg, North Carolina, enrolling 475 students.
At 14.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the North Carolina median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 99.4% of students qualify for free meals, 51% above the North Carolina average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 475 students, its enrollment sits close to the North Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 560 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #257.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (35%) and White (32%) (diversity index 70/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 317 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 48.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 25.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 181 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 475 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Sampson County Schools also operates Midway High (726 students) and Midway Middle (584 students) alongside Lakewood 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 Lakewood High compares
Lakewood 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 | 14.8:1 | ▼ 6% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.4% | ▲ 51% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 475 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
475
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.4%
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
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 46% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
48.6%
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
$12,503
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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 317 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
148
in-school suspensions + 33 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 31.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 38.1 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
Hispanic or Latino 35.4%
White 32.4%
African American 25.5%
Two or More 6.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 35.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.1, Lakewood High is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sampson County Schools, which includes Lakewood High.
$12,503
Per student
+4%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 14.3%
State 59.9%
Federal 25.7%
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 Lakewood High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midway High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Midway Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Midway Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Salemburg Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Union High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lakewood High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 726
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 584
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 539
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 494
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~475 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lakewood High's federal record.
- Compare Lakewood High against another school. Compare schools
- Sampson 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 Lakewood High
How many students attend Lakewood High?
Lakewood High has 475 students enrolled. It is a high school in Salemburg, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lakewood High?
The student-teacher ratio at Lakewood High is 14.8:1, which is 6% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 6% 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 Lakewood High?
99.4% of students at Lakewood High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lakewood High?
The largest demographic group at Lakewood High is Hispanic or Latino at 35.4% of enrollment, in Salemburg, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lakewood High?
Lakewood High has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Lakewood High a good school?
Lakewood High earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. 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 Sampson County Schools?
Besides Lakewood High, Sampson County Schools also operates Midway High (726 students), Midway Middle (584 students), and Midway Elementary (539 students). See the Sampson 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.