Enrollment
1,161
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Hillsborough, NC
Orange High
Federal NCES profile for Orange High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370348001447
👥 S:T ratio 43
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Orange High earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Hillsborough · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.3:1
- students per teacher
- 37.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Orange High has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Orange High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Hillsborough, NC.
School address
District: Orange County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370348001447 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
81.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Orange High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Orange High
Orange High is a large high school in Hillsborough, North Carolina, enrolling 1,161 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 below the state's typical profile, with 37.5% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Carolina, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,161 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 243 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #19, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (51%) and Hispanic or Latino (25%) (diversity index 65/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 18 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 232 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 247 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,161 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Hillsborough's high schools, it stands alongside Cedar Ridge High (1,148 students): Orange High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.3:1 vs 18.5:1).
Orange County Schools also operates Cedar Ridge High (1,148 students) and A L Stanback Middle (648 students) alongside Orange High.
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 Orange High compares
Orange High 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 | 37.5% | ▼ 43% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,161 | top 7% | - | - |
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.
1,161
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
37.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 43% 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
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
30.0%
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
$14,085
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 232 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
163
in-school suspensions + 84 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.3 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 51.3%
Hispanic or Latino 24.5%
African American 16.6%
Two or More 6.0%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 51.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.5, Orange High is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 18
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orange County Schools, which includes Orange High.
$14,085
Per student
+17%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.0%
State 48.0%
Federal 14.1%
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 Orange High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Ridge High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| A L Stanback Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Efland Cheeks Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| New Hope Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| River Park Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Orange High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,148
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 648
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 532
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 523
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
Similar high schools in Hillsborough
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~1,161 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Orange High's federal record.
- Compare Orange High against another school. Compare schools
- Orange 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 Orange High
How many students attend Orange High?
Orange High has 1,161 students enrolled. It is a high school in Hillsborough, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Orange High?
The student-teacher ratio at Orange High 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 Orange High?
37.5% of students at Orange High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Orange High?
The largest demographic group at Orange High is White at 51.3% of enrollment, in Hillsborough, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Orange High?
Orange High has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Orange High rank among high schools in Hillsborough?
By Resource Investment Index, Orange High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Hillsborough, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Hillsborough on the city page.
Is Orange High a good school?
Orange High earns 56/100 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 Orange County Schools?
Besides Orange High, Orange County Schools also operates Cedar Ridge High (1,148 students), A L Stanback Middle (648 students), and Efland Cheeks Elementary (532 students). See the Orange 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.