Enrollment
896
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370045000156
North Buncombe High — Weaverville, NC
Federal NCES profile for North Buncombe High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 33
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 9
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: Buncombe 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)
57.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.7%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How North Buncombe 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
North Buncombe High reports 896 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 57.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% 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 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 38.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% below the North Carolina average and 25% below the national baseline. The school offers 10 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 299 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Buncombe County Schools spends $14,785 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.2% from local sources (property taxes), 49.5% from the state, and 21.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 North Buncombe 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 | 16.8:1 | ▲ 2% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.7% | ▼ 41% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 896 | top 87% | — | — |
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
38.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% 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
16.8:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 73% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
36.4%
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
$14,785
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 299 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
82
in-school suspensions + 66 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 896 Top 87% in North Carolina — larger than 13% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 57.0
Students per teacher 16.8:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 38.7% -41% vs state
NCES ID 370045000156
Student demographics
White 76.9%
Hispanic or Latino 17.1%
Two or More 3.5%
African American 1.0%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 76.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 10
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 299:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.4%
In-school suspensions 82
Out-of-school suspensions 66
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buncombe County Schools, which includes North Buncombe High.
$14,785
Per student
+13%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.2%
State 49.5%
Federal 21.3%
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
- 1,479
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,169
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,051
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,013
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 754
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
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 North Buncombe High
How many students attend North Buncombe High?
North Buncombe High has 896 students enrolled. It is a high school in Weaverville, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at North Buncombe High?
The student-teacher ratio at North Buncombe High is 16.8:1, which is 2% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at North Buncombe High?
38.7% of students at North Buncombe High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of North Buncombe High?
The largest demographic group at North Buncombe High is White at 76.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Weaverville, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for North Buncombe High?
North Buncombe High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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.