Enrollment
1,782
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370031703184 Charter school
Mountain Island Charter School — Mt. Holly, NC
Federal NCES profile for Mountain Island Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 60
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: Mountain Island Charter · 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)
100.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-68% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mountain Island Charter School 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
Mountain Island Charter School reports 1,782 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 100.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 7% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 21.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 68% below the North Carolina average and 59% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 301 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mountain Island Charter spends $10,122 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.6% from local sources (property taxes), 61.7% from the state, and 5.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (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 Mountain Island Charter School 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 | 17:1 | ▲ 4% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.4% | ▼ 68% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,782 | top 97% | — | — |
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
21.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 68% 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
17:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 75% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
15.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$10,122
per pupil, district-wide
— below North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors5.9 FTE
Per 301 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 130 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,782 Top 97% in North Carolina — larger than 3% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 100.0
Students per teacher 17:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 21.4% -68% vs state
NCES ID 370031703184
Student demographics
White 51.8%
African American 28.2%
Hispanic or Latino 9.8%
Two or More 8.3%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 51.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 12
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.9
Students per counselor 301:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.9%
In-school suspensions 18
Out-of-school suspensions 130
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mountain Island Charter, which includes Mountain Island Charter School.
$10,122
Per student
-22%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-48%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.6%
State 61.7%
Federal 5.7%
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.
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 Mountain Island Charter School
How many students attend Mountain Island Charter School?
Mountain Island Charter School has 1,782 students enrolled. It is a other school in Mt. Holly, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mountain Island Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mountain Island Charter School is 17:1, which is 4% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mountain Island Charter School?
21.4% of students at Mountain Island Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mountain Island Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Mountain Island Charter School is White at 51.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Mt. Holly, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mountain Island Charter School?
Mountain Island Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.