Enrollment
97
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Topton, NC
Nantahala School
Federal NCES profile for Nantahala School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 63/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370276001142
👥 S:T ratio 68
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 81
📋 Attendance 36
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Nantahala School earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in North Carolina.
- 63
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8.1:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 58.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 97
- students enrolled
Nantahala School has class sizes smaller than 97% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Macon County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370276001142 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.1:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-49% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nantahala School compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Nantahala School
Nantahala School is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Topton, North Carolina, enrolling 97 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.1:1, Nantahala School is leaner than roughly 97% of North Carolina schools and 49% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 58.8% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 96% of North Carolina schools, with 97 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 97% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 27 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #7.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 29/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 97 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Macon County Schools also operates Franklin High (996 students) and Mountain View Intermediate (614 students) alongside Nantahala School.
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 Nantahala School compares
Nantahala School 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 | 8.1:1 | ▼ 49% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.8% | ▼ 11% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 97 | top 96% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.1:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
97
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
58.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% 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
8.1:1
students per teacher
- 49% below state mean
Top 3% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
25.8%
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
$13,154
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 97 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.2 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 83.5%
Hispanic or Latino 8.2%
Two or More 5.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.1%
Largest group: White at 83.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.2, Nantahala School is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Macon County Schools, which includes Nantahala School.
$13,154
Per student
+9%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.4%
State 56.4%
Federal 23.2%
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 Nantahala School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mountain View Intermediate | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Macon Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Macon Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Iotla Valley Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Nantahala School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 996
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 614
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 576
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 408
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar other 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 (~97 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Nantahala School's federal record.
- Compare Nantahala School against another school. Compare schools
- Macon 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 Nantahala School
How many students attend Nantahala School?
Nantahala School has 97 students enrolled. It is a public school in Topton, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nantahala School?
The student-teacher ratio at Nantahala School is 8.1:1, which is 49% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 48% 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 Nantahala School?
58.8% of students at Nantahala School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nantahala School?
The largest demographic group at Nantahala School is White at 83.5% of enrollment, in Topton, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nantahala School?
Nantahala School has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Nantahala School a good school?
Nantahala School earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in North Carolina. 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 Macon County Schools?
Besides Nantahala School, Macon County Schools also operates Franklin High (996 students), Mountain View Intermediate (614 students), and Macon Middle School (576 students). See the Macon 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.