Enrollment
360
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Old Fort, NC
Old Fort Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Old Fort Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370294001182
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Old Fort Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Carolina schools.
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.7:1
- students per teacher
- 68.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 360
- students enrolled
Old Fort Elementary School has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Mcdowell County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370294001182 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.7%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Old Fort Elementary School compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Old Fort Elementary School
Old Fort Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Old Fort, North Carolina, enrolling 360 students.
At 15.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the North Carolina median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 68.7% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 360 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 272 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #127.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 29/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 360 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Mcdowell County Schools also operates Mcdowell High School (1,379 students) and West Mcdowell Middle School (550 students) alongside Old Fort Elementary 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 Old Fort Elementary School compares
Old Fort Elementary 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 | 15.7:1 | ▼ 1% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.7% | ▲ 4% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 360 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.7:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
360
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
68.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
15.7:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 59% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
28.9%
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
$12,857
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 360 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 83.9%
Two or More 6.9%
Hispanic or Latino 6.4%
African American 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 83.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 28.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 28.7, Old Fort Elementary 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 Mcdowell County Schools, which includes Old Fort Elementary School.
$12,857
Per student
+7%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.9%
State 58.7%
Federal 24.4%
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 Old Fort Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mcdowell High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Mcdowell Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Glenwood Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Mcdowell Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| West Marion Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Old Fort Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,379
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 550
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 435
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 392
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 390
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~360 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Old Fort Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Old Fort Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Mcdowell 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 Old Fort Elementary School
How many students attend Old Fort Elementary School?
Old Fort Elementary School has 360 students enrolled. It is a public school in Old Fort, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Old Fort Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Old Fort Elementary School is 15.7:1, which is 1% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 0% higher 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 Old Fort Elementary School?
68.7% of students at Old Fort Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Old Fort Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Old Fort Elementary School is White at 83.9% of enrollment, in Old Fort, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Old Fort Elementary School?
Old Fort Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical 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 Old Fort Elementary School a good school?
Old Fort Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Carolina schools. 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 Mcdowell County Schools?
Besides Old Fort Elementary School, Mcdowell County Schools also operates Mcdowell High School (1,379 students), West Mcdowell Middle School (550 students), and Glenwood Elementary School (435 students). See the Mcdowell 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.