Enrollment
241
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370294002809
Mcdowell Early College — Marion, NC
Federal NCES profile for Mcdowell Early College, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 25
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 96
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 →
The verdict
Mcdowell Early College earns a C- Resource Investment Index (50/100), with class sizes larger than 87% of North Carolina schools.
- C-
- Resource Index · 50/100
- 18.8:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 40.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 241
- students enrolled
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)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.0%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mcdowell Early College 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 Early College reports 241 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 12.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% 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 18% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 40.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 39% below the North Carolina average and 23% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 241 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 1.7% 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 50/100 (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 Early College 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 | 18.8:1 | ▲ 15% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.0% | ▼ 39% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 241 | top 16% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
19 smaller classes than 21% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
241 larger than 24% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
40.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 39% 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
18.8:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 87% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
1.7%
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 241 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 241 Top 16% in North Carolina — larger than 84% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 12.0
Students per teacher 18.8:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 40.0% -39% vs state
NCES ID 370294002809
Student demographics
White 76.3%
Hispanic or Latino 16.6%
Two or More 3.3%
African American 2.1%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 76.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 241:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 1.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mcdowell County Schools, which includes Mcdowell Early College.
$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 Early College
How many students attend Mcdowell Early College?
Mcdowell Early College has 241 students enrolled. It is a high school in Marion, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mcdowell Early College?
The student-teacher ratio at Mcdowell Early College is 18.8:1, which is 15% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mcdowell Early College?
40.0% of students at Mcdowell Early College are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mcdowell Early College?
The largest demographic group at Mcdowell Early College is White at 76.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Marion, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mcdowell Early College?
Mcdowell Early College has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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.