Enrollment
221
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Bryson City, NC
Mountain Discovery
Federal NCES profile for Mountain Discovery, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370012902614Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 12
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 31
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mountain Discovery earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of North Carolina schools.
- #3 of 3
- elementary schools in Bryson City · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22.1:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 221
- students enrolled
Mountain Discovery has class sizes larger than 93% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mountain Discovery ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Bryson City, NC.
School address
District: Mountain Discovery Charter School · North Carolina
NCES ID 370012902614 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.1:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mountain Discovery compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mountain Discovery
Mountain Discovery is a small charter elementary school in Bryson City, North Carolina, enrolling 221 students.
Class loads run heavy: 22.1:1 is larger than about 93% of North Carolina schools and 40% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 221 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 98% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and Two or More (9%) (diversity index 37/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Bryson City's elementary schools, it stands alongside Swain County West Elementary (403 students): Mountain Discovery is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (22.1:1 vs 13:1).
Mountain Discovery Charter School is a single-school charter district, so Mountain Discovery operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Mountain Discovery compares
Mountain Discovery 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 | 22.1:1 | ▲ 40% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 221 | top 86% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.1:1
Leaner classes than 10% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
221
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
22.1:1
students per teacher
- 40% above state mean
Top 93% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
27.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,006
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 78.7%
Two or More 8.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 7.7%
African American 1.8%
Hispanic or Latino 1.4%
Asian 1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: White at 78.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.7, Mountain Discovery is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mountain Discovery Charter School, which includes Mountain Discovery.
$12,006
Per student
0%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 13.3%
State 75.7%
Federal 11.0%
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 Bryson City
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~221 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mountain Discovery's federal record.
- Compare Mountain Discovery against another school. Compare schools
- Mountain Discovery Charter School'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 Mountain Discovery
How many students attend Mountain Discovery?
Mountain Discovery has 221 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Bryson City, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mountain Discovery?
The student-teacher ratio at Mountain Discovery is 22.1:1, which is 40% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 41% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mountain Discovery?
The largest demographic group at Mountain Discovery is White at 78.7% of enrollment, in Bryson City, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mountain Discovery?
Mountain Discovery has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Mountain Discovery rank among elementary schools in Bryson City?
By Resource Investment Index, Mountain Discovery ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Bryson City, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Bryson City on the city page.
Is Mountain Discovery a good school?
Mountain Discovery earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% 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 Mountain Discovery Charter School?
None; Mountain Discovery Charter School is a single-school charter district, and Mountain Discovery is its only campus.
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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.