Enrollment
158
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370294003487
Mcdowell Academy for Innovation — Marion, NC
Federal NCES profile for Mcdowell Academy for Innovation, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 55/100.
👥 Class size 44
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 68
📋 Attendance 83
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: Mcdowell County Schools · 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)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.7%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mcdowell Academy for Innovation 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
Mcdowell Academy for Innovation reports 158 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 8.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% below the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% lower, 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. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 158 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 7.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mcdowell County Schools spends $13,553 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.9% from local sources (property taxes), 58.7% from the state, and 24.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C), calculated from 5 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 Mcdowell Academy for Innovation 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 | 14.1:1 | ▼ 14% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.7% | ▼ 26% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 158 | top 8% | — | — |
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
14.1:1
students per teacher
— 14% below state mean
Top 35% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
7.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$13,553
per pupil, district-wide
— above North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 158 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 158 Top 8% in North Carolina — larger than 92% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 8.0
Students per teacher 14.1:1 -14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 48.7% -26% vs state
NCES ID 370294003487
Student demographics
White 68.4%
Hispanic or Latino 24.1%
Two or More 3.8%
African American 3.2%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 68.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 158:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 7.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mcdowell County Schools, which includes Mcdowell Academy for Innovation.
$13,553
Per student
+4%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.9%
State 58.7%
Federal 24.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,379
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 550
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 435
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 392
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 390
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
Similar high schools in Marion
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 Mcdowell Academy for Innovation
How many students attend Mcdowell Academy for Innovation?
Mcdowell Academy for Innovation has 158 students enrolled. It is a high school in Marion, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mcdowell Academy for Innovation?
The student-teacher ratio at Mcdowell Academy for Innovation is 14.1:1, which is 14% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mcdowell Academy for Innovation?
48.7% of students at Mcdowell Academy for Innovation are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mcdowell Academy for Innovation?
The largest demographic group at Mcdowell Academy for Innovation is White at 68.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Marion, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mcdowell Academy for Innovation?
Mcdowell Academy for Innovation has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.