Enrollment
424
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370078000323
Murphy High — Murphy, NC
Federal NCES profile for Murphy High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 42
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 0
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: Cherokee 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)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Murphy High 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
Murphy High reports 424 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% 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 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 52.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 20% below the North Carolina average and 2% above the national baseline. The school offers 11 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 212 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 59.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cherokee County Schools spends $16,832 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 20.4% from local sources (property taxes), 52.4% from the state, and 27.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), 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 Murphy High 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 | 14.4:1 | ▼ 12% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.8% | ▼ 20% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 424 | top 40% | — | — |
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
52.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 20% 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
14.4:1
students per teacher
— 12% below state mean
Top 40% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
59.2%
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
$16,832
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 212 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 50 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 424 Top 40% in North Carolina — larger than 60% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 14.4:1 -12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 52.8% -20% vs state
NCES ID 370078000323
Student demographics
White 80.2%
Hispanic or Latino 8.5%
Two or More 5.9%
African American 3.1%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: White at 80.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 212:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 59.2%
In-school suspensions 17
Out-of-school suspensions 50
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cherokee County Schools, which includes Murphy High.
$16,832
Per student
+29%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 20.4%
State 52.4%
Federal 27.2%
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
- 467
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Enrollment
- 353
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 330
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 264
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 229
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
Similar high schools in Murphy
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 Murphy High
How many students attend Murphy High?
Murphy High has 424 students enrolled. It is a high school in Murphy, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Murphy High?
The student-teacher ratio at Murphy High is 14.4:1, which is 12% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 9% 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 Murphy High?
52.8% of students at Murphy High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Murphy High?
The largest demographic group at Murphy High is White at 80.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Murphy, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Murphy High?
Murphy High has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) based on 5 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.