Enrollment
771
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 370040503392 Charter school
Matthews Charter Academy — Matthews, NC
Federal NCES profile for Matthews Charter Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 26/100.
👥 Class size 18
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 30
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: Matthews Charter Academy · 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)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.5:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.7%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Matthews Charter Academy 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
Matthews Charter Academy reports 771 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 37.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% above the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 29% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 48.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 26% below the North Carolina average and 6% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Matthews Charter Academy spends $10,008 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Matthews Charter Academy 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 | 20.5:1 | ▲ 25% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.7% | ▼ 26% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 771 | top 80% | — | — |
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
48.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 26% 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
20.5:1
students per teacher
— 25% above state mean
Top 93% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
28.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,008
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 30 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 771 Top 80% in North Carolina — larger than 20% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 37.0
Students per teacher 20.5:1 +25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 48.7% -26% vs state
NCES ID 370040503392
Student demographics
White 37.4%
African American 28.1%
Hispanic or Latino 22.6%
Two or More 7.5%
Asian 3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 37.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.0%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 30
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Matthews Charter Academy, which includes Matthews Charter Academy.
$10,008
Per student
-23%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-49%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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 Matthews
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Matthews Charter Academy
How many students attend Matthews Charter Academy?
Matthews Charter Academy has 771 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Matthews, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Matthews Charter Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Matthews Charter Academy is 20.5:1, which is 25% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 29% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Matthews Charter Academy?
48.7% of students at Matthews Charter Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Matthews Charter Academy?
The largest demographic group at Matthews Charter Academy is White at 37.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Matthews, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Matthews Charter Academy?
Matthews Charter Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.