Enrollment
445
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Mars Hill, NC
Mars Hill Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Mars Hill Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370282001154
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 11
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mars Hill Elementary earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of North Carolina schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Carolina schools.
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.4:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 49.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 445
- students enrolled
Mars Hill Elementary has class sizes smaller than 85% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Madison County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370282001154 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mars Hill Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mars Hill Elementary
Mars Hill Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Mars Hill, North Carolina, enrolling 445 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.4:1, Mars Hill Elementary is leaner than roughly 85% of North Carolina schools and 22% 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 49.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 445 students, its enrollment sits close to the North Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 421 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #278.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 445 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Madison County Schools spends $14,773 per pupil, 23% above the North Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 16.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Madison County Schools also operates Madison Middle School (468 students) and Madison High School (377 students) alongside Mars Hill Elementary.
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 Mars Hill Elementary compares
Mars Hill Elementary 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 | 12.4:1 | ▼ 22% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.8% | ▼ 25% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 445 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
445
Bigger than 54% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
49.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% 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
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 15% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.7%
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
$14,773
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 445 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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
White 93.9%
Two or More 3.4%
Hispanic or Latino 1.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 93.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.7, Mars Hill Elementary is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Madison County Schools, which includes Mars Hill Elementary.
$14,773
Per student
+23%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.7%
State 65.7%
Federal 16.6%
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 Mars Hill Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Madison High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Brush Creek Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Madison Early College High | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hot Springs Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mars Hill Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 468
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 377
- Students per teacher
- 8.2:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 356
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 270
- Students per teacher
- 27:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 128
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar elementary 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 (~445 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mars Hill Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Mars Hill Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Madison 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 Mars Hill Elementary
How many students attend Mars Hill Elementary?
Mars Hill Elementary has 445 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Mars Hill, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mars Hill Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mars Hill Elementary is 12.4:1, which is 22% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 21% 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 Mars Hill Elementary?
49.8% of students at Mars Hill Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mars Hill Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Mars Hill Elementary is White at 93.9% of enrollment, in Mars Hill, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mars Hill Elementary?
Mars Hill Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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).
Is Mars Hill Elementary a good school?
Mars Hill Elementary earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of North Carolina schools. 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 Madison County Schools?
Besides Mars Hill Elementary, Madison County Schools also operates Madison Middle School (468 students), Madison High School (377 students), and Brush Creek Elementary (356 students). See the Madison 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.