Other / mixed grade configuration · Kings Mountain, NC

North Elementary

Federal NCES profile for North Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370090002718
0/100100/10053/100
👥 S:T ratio
43
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
46
📋 Attendance
52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

North Elementary earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.

#2 of 4
schools in Kings Mountain · Resource Index
53
Resource Index · Higher
14.3:1
students per teacher
98.9%
free-lunch eligible

North Elementary has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, North Elementary ranks #2 of 4 schools in Kings Mountain, NC.

Enrollment

272

North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

19.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

14.3:1

vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg

-9% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

98.9%

vs 66.0% North Carolina avg

+50% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How North Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at North Elementary

North Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, enrolling 272 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 98.9% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 272 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.

Among 288 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #20, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (53%) and African American (31%) (diversity index 62/100).

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 272 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.

Its district draws 19.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Kings Mountain's public schools, it stands alongside Bethware Elementary (548 students): North Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.3:1 vs 16.6:1).

Cleveland County Schools also operates Kings Mountain High (1,305 students) and Crest High (1,098 students) alongside North Elementary.

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 North Elementary compares

North Elementary 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 14.3:1 ▼ 9% 15.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 98.9% ▲ 50% 66.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 272 top 80% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
272
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
98.9%
free-lunch eligible - 50% above 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
14.3:1
students per teacher - 9% below state mean
Top 39% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
19.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,957
per pupil, district-wide - below 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 272 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.7 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 52.6%
African American 30.9%
Hispanic or Latino 8.5%
Two or More 7.7%
Asian 0.4%

Largest group: White at 52.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 61.5/100

Simpson diversity index - at 61.5, North Elementary is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cleveland County Schools, which includes North Elementary.

$11,957
Per student
0%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.4%
State 59.1%
Federal 19.5%

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 North Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Kings Mountain High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Crest High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Burns High Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Crest Middle Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Shelby High Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to North Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Cleveland County Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Kings Mountain

3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on North Elementary's federal record.

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 North Elementary

How many students attend North Elementary?

North Elementary has 272 students enrolled. It is a public school in Kings Mountain, NC.

What is the student-teacher ratio at North Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at North Elementary is 14.3:1, which is 9% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 9% 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 North Elementary?

98.9% of students at North Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of North Elementary?

The largest demographic group at North Elementary is White at 52.6% of enrollment, in Kings Mountain, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.5/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for North Elementary?

North Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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).

How does North Elementary rank among schools in Kings Mountain?

By Resource Investment Index, North Elementary ranks #2 of 4 schools in Kings Mountain, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Kings Mountain on the city page.

Is North Elementary a good school?

North Elementary earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. 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 Cleveland County Schools?

Besides North Elementary, Cleveland County Schools also operates Kings Mountain High (1,305 students), Crest High (1,098 students), and Burns High (928 students). See the Cleveland County Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.