Other / mixed grade configuration · Durham, NC

Little River K-8 School

Federal NCES profile for Little River K-8 School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370126000539
0/100100/10045/100
👥 S:T ratio
66
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
35
📋 Attendance
8
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Little River K-8 School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of North Carolina schools.

#18 of 33
schools in Durham · Resource Index
45
Resource Index · Typical
8.4:1
small classes for North Carolina
44.7%
free-lunch eligible

Little River K-8 School has class sizes smaller than 97% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Little River K-8 School ranks #18 of 33 schools in Durham, NC.

Enrollment

326

North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

39.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

8.4:1

vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg

-47% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

44.7%

vs 66.0% North Carolina avg

-32% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Little River K-8 School compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Little River K-8 School

Little River K-8 School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Durham, North Carolina, enrolling 326 students.

Classes run notably small here: at 8.4:1, Little River K-8 School is leaner than roughly 97% of North Carolina schools and 47% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 44.7% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 326 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.

Against 250 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #124.

Its student body is led by White (39%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%) (diversity index 71/100).

Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 326 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Durham Public Schools spends $14,937 per pupil, 24% above the North Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 19.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Durham's public schools, it stands alongside Nc Virtual Academy (3,482 students): Little River K-8 School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (8.4:1 vs 24.7:1).

Durham Public Schools also operates C E Jordan High (2,189 students) and Riverside High (1,900 students) alongside Little River K-8 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 Little River K-8 School compares

Little River K-8 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 8.4:1 ▼ 47% 15.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 44.7% ▼ 32% 66.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 326 top 75% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

8.4:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
326
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
44.7%
free-lunch eligible - 32% 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
8.4:1
students per teacher - 47% below state mean
Top 3% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
36.8%
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
$14,937
per pupil, district-wide - above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 326 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 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 39.0%
Hispanic or Latino 26.7%
African American 22.7%
Two or More 10.4%
Asian 1.2%

Largest group: White at 39.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 71.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 71.4, Little River K-8 School is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Durham Public Schools, which includes Little River K-8 School.

$14,937
Per student
+24%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.5%
State 46.0%
Federal 19.5%

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 Little River K-8 School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
C E Jordan High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Riverside High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Durham School of the Arts Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Hillside High Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Little River K-8 School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Durham Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Durham

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Little River K-8 School's federal record.

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 Little River K-8 School

How many students attend Little River K-8 School?

Little River K-8 School has 326 students enrolled. It is a public school in Durham, NC.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Little River K-8 School?

The student-teacher ratio at Little River K-8 School is 8.4:1, which is 47% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 46% 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 Little River K-8 School?

44.7% of students at Little River K-8 School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Little River K-8 School?

The largest demographic group at Little River K-8 School is White at 39.0% of enrollment, in Durham, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.4/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Little River K-8 School?

Little River K-8 School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Little River K-8 School rank among schools in Durham?

By Resource Investment Index, Little River K-8 School ranks #18 of 33 schools in Durham, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Durham on the city page.

Is Little River K-8 School a good school?

Little River K-8 School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% 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 Durham Public Schools?

Besides Little River K-8 School, Durham Public Schools also operates C E Jordan High (2,189 students), Riverside High (1,900 students), and Durham School of the Arts (1,764 students). See the Durham Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.