Enrollment
529
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370357002346
North Topsail Elementary — Hampstead, NC
Federal NCES profile for North Topsail Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 19
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: Pender 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)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-64% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How North Topsail Elementary 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 Topsail Elementary reports 529 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 39.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% below the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 2% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 23.8% 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 54% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 529 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Pender County Schools spends $12,071 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.0% from local sources (property taxes), 56.8% from the state, and 21.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Topsail Elementary 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 | 15.6:1 | ▼ 5% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.8% | ▼ 64% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 529 | top 55% | — | — |
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
23.8%
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
15.6:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 58% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.3%
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
$12,071
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 529 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 529 Top 55% in North Carolina — larger than 45% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 39.0
Students per teacher 15.6:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 23.8% -64% vs state
NCES ID 370357002346
Student demographics
White 85.1%
Hispanic or Latino 6.8%
Two or More 5.3%
African American 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 85.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 529:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.3%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pender County Schools, which includes North Topsail Elementary.
$12,071
Per student
-7%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.0%
State 56.8%
Federal 21.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,945
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Enrollment
- 857
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 837
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 752
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Enrollment
- 732
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
Similar other schools in Hampstead
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Topsail Elementary
How many students attend North Topsail Elementary?
North Topsail Elementary has 529 students enrolled. It is a other school in Hampstead, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at North Topsail Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at North Topsail Elementary is 15.6:1, which is 5% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at North Topsail Elementary?
23.8% of students at North Topsail Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of North Topsail Elementary?
The largest demographic group at North Topsail Elementary is White at 85.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Hampstead, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for North Topsail Elementary?
North Topsail Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.