Enrollment
424
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Murphy, NC
Murphy High
Federal NCES profile for Murphy High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370078000323
👥 S:T ratio 50
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Murphy High earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of North Carolina schools.
- #1 of 3
- high schools in Murphy · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.5:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 52.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Murphy High has class sizes smaller than 84% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Murphy High ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Murphy, NC.
School address
District: Cherokee County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370078000323 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-21% 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
What stands out at Murphy High
Murphy High is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Murphy, North Carolina, enrolling 424 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 52.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 424 students, its enrollment sits close to the North Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 428 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #165.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 35/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 11 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 212 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 59.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Cherokee County Schools spends $15,950 per pupil, 33% above the North Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 27.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Murphy's high schools, it stands alongside Tri-County Early College High (153 students): Murphy High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.5:1 vs 19.1:1).
Cherokee County Schools also operates Murphy Elementary (467 students) and Murphy Middle (353 students) alongside Murphy 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 Murphy High compares
Murphy 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 | 12.5:1 | ▼ 21% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.8% | ▼ 20% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 424 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
424
Bigger than 51% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
12.5:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 16% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
59.2%
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
$15,950
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 34.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.5, Murphy High is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cherokee County Schools, which includes Murphy High.
$15,950
Per student
+33%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Murphy High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murphy Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Murphy Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Andrews Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ranger Elementary/Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Andrews High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Murphy High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 467
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 353
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 330
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 264
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 229
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar high schools in Murphy
2 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 (~424 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Murphy High's federal record.
- Compare Murphy High against another school. Compare schools
- Cherokee County 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 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 12.5:1, which is 21% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 20% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. 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% of enrollment, in Murphy, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Murphy High?
Murphy High has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Murphy High rank among high schools in Murphy?
By Resource Investment Index, Murphy High ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Murphy, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Murphy on the city page.
Is Murphy High a good school?
Murphy High earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% 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 Cherokee County Schools?
Besides Murphy High, Cherokee County Schools also operates Murphy Elementary (467 students), Murphy Middle (353 students), and Andrews Elementary (330 students). See the Cherokee County 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.