Enrollment
224
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 370027003435
Montford North Star Academy — Asheville, NC
Federal NCES profile for Montford North Star Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 32
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: Asheville City 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)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Montford North Star 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
Montford North Star Academy reports 224 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 24% 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 22% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 40% below the North Carolina average and 24% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 224 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Asheville City Schools spends $16,748 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 45.0% from local sources (property taxes), 40.4% from the state, and 14.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-), calculated from 4 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 Montford North Star 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 | 12.4:1 | ▼ 24% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.3% | ▼ 40% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 224 | top 14% | — | — |
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
39.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 40% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.4:1
students per teacher
— 24% below state mean
Top 15% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
27.2%
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
$16,748
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 224 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 26.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 224 Top 14% in North Carolina — larger than 86% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 12.4:1 -24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.3% -40% vs state
NCES ID 370027003435
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 224:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.2%
In-school suspensions 24
Out-of-school suspensions 36
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Asheville City Schools, which includes Montford North Star Academy.
$16,748
Per student
+28%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 45.0%
State 40.4%
Federal 14.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,221
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 670
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 405
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 390
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 369
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
Similar middle schools in Asheville
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Montford North Star Academy
How many students attend Montford North Star Academy?
Montford North Star Academy has 224 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Asheville, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Montford North Star Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Montford North Star Academy is 12.4:1, which is 24% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 22% 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 Montford North Star Academy?
39.3% of students at Montford North Star Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Montford North Star Academy?
Montford North Star Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-) based on 4 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.