Enrollment
620
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Mount Airy, NC
Mount Airy High
Federal NCES profile for Mount Airy High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370321001339
👥 S:T ratio 25
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 59
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mount Airy High earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of North Carolina schools.
- #4 of 11
- public schools in Mount Airy · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.8:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 50.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Mount Airy High has class sizes larger than 85% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mount Airy High ranks #4 of 11 public schools in Mount Airy, NC.
School address
District: Mount Airy City Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370321001339 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mount Airy High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mount Airy High
Mount Airy High is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Mount Airy, North Carolina, enrolling 620 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.8:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 50.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 620 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 492 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #243.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Hispanic or Latino (23%) (diversity index 56/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 620 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 23.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Mount Airy's high schools, it stands alongside North Surry High (792 students): Mount Airy High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.8:1 vs 16.5:1).
Mount Airy City Schools also operates Bruce H. Tharrington Primary (432 students) and Mount Airy Middle (395 students) alongside Mount Airy High.
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 Mount Airy High compares
Mount Airy High 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 | 18.8:1 | ▲ 19% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.3% | ▼ 24% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 620 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.8:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
620
Bigger than 74% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
50.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% 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
- 19% above state mean
Top 85% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,873
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 620 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
23
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 61.5%
Hispanic or Latino 23.2%
African American 7.6%
Two or More 6.1%
Asian 1.6%
Largest group: White at 61.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.8, Mount Airy High is about as mixed as the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mount Airy City Schools, which includes Mount Airy High.
$12,873
Per student
+7%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.2%
State 59.3%
Federal 23.5%
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 Mount Airy High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce H. Tharrington Primary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mount Airy Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Jones Intermediate | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mount Airy High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 432
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 395
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 339
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar high schools in Mount Airy
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~620 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mount Airy High's federal record.
- Compare Mount Airy High against another school. Compare schools
- Mount Airy City 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 Mount Airy High
How many students attend Mount Airy High?
Mount Airy High has 620 students enrolled. It is a high school in Mount Airy, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mount Airy High?
The student-teacher ratio at Mount Airy High is 18.8:1, which is 19% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mount Airy High?
50.3% of students at Mount Airy High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mount Airy High?
The largest demographic group at Mount Airy High is White at 61.5% of enrollment, in Mount Airy, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mount Airy High?
Mount Airy High has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Mount Airy High rank among public schools in Mount Airy?
By Resource Investment Index, Mount Airy High ranks #4 of 11 public schools in Mount Airy, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Mount Airy on the city page.
Is Mount Airy High a good school?
Mount Airy High earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of 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 Mount Airy City Schools?
Besides Mount Airy High, Mount Airy City Schools also operates Bruce H. Tharrington Primary (432 students), Mount Airy Middle (395 students), and Jones Intermediate (339 students). See the Mount Airy City 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.