Enrollment
1,126
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370268002673
North Lincoln High — Lincolnton, NC
Federal NCES profile for North Lincoln High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 57/100.
👥 Class size 8
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 71
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: Lincoln 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)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-64% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How North Lincoln 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 Lincoln High reports 1,126 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 47.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 40% 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 45% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 23.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 64% below the North Carolina average and 55% below the national baseline. The school offers 18 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 282 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lincoln County Schools spends $11,236 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.4% from local sources (property taxes), 58.7% from the state, and 18.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (C), 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 Lincoln 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 | 23:1 | ▲ 40% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.5% | ▼ 64% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,126 | top 92% | — | — |
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
23.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 64% 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
23:1
students per teacher
— 40% above state mean
Top 96% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
11.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$11,236
per pupil, district-wide
— below North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 282 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
165
in-school suspensions + 62 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,126 Top 92% in North Carolina — larger than 8% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 47.0
Students per teacher 23:1 +40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 23.5% -64% vs state
NCES ID 370268002673
Student demographics
White 81.8%
Hispanic or Latino 10.7%
Two or More 4.1%
African American 2.7%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: White at 81.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 18
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 282:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.5%
In-school suspensions 165
Out-of-school suspensions 62
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lincoln County Schools, which includes North Lincoln High.
$11,236
Per student
-14%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.4%
State 58.7%
Federal 18.8%
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
- 1,047
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Enrollment
- 797
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 774
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 738
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 731
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
Similar high schools in Lincolnton
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 North Lincoln High
How many students attend North Lincoln High?
North Lincoln High has 1,126 students enrolled. It is a high school in Lincolnton, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at North Lincoln High?
The student-teacher ratio at North Lincoln High is 23:1, which is 40% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 45% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at North Lincoln High?
23.5% of students at North Lincoln High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of North Lincoln High?
The largest demographic group at North Lincoln High is White at 81.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lincolnton, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for North Lincoln High?
North Lincoln High has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (C) 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.