Enrollment
514
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Hillsborough, NC
Orange Middle
Federal NCES profile for Orange Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 370348001444
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Orange Middle earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #3 of 12
- public schools in Hillsborough · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.9:1
- students per teacher
- 36.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Orange Middle has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Orange Middle ranks #3 of 12 public schools in Hillsborough, NC.
School address
District: Orange County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370348001444 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Orange Middle compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Orange Middle
Orange Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Hillsborough, North Carolina, enrolling 514 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.9:1 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 36.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 514 students, its enrollment sits close to the North Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 358 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #26, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (58%) and Hispanic or Latino (20%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 257 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Hillsborough's middle schools, it stands alongside A L Stanback Middle (648 students): Orange Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.9:1 vs 14.4:1).
Orange County Schools also operates Orange High (1,161 students) and Cedar Ridge High (1,148 students) alongside Orange Middle.
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 Middle compares
Orange Middle 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 | 13.9:1 | ▼ 12% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.4% | ▼ 45% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 514 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
514
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
36.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 45% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 34% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
18.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 257 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
38
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.3 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 58.4%
Hispanic or Latino 20.2%
African American 13.4%
Two or More 7.4%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 58.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.5, Orange Middle is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orange County Schools, which includes Orange Middle.
$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 Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cedar Ridge High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| A L Stanback Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Efland Cheeks Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| New Hope Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Orange Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,161
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- 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
Similar middle schools in Hillsborough
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 (~514 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Orange Middle's federal record.
- Compare Orange Middle 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 Middle
How many students attend Orange Middle?
Orange Middle has 514 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Hillsborough, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Orange Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Orange Middle is 13.9:1, which is 12% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 11% 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 Middle?
36.4% of students at Orange Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Orange Middle?
The largest demographic group at Orange Middle is White at 58.4% of enrollment, in Hillsborough, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Orange Middle?
Orange Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (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 Orange Middle rank among public schools in Hillsborough?
By Resource Investment Index, Orange Middle ranks #3 of 12 public 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 public schools in Hillsborough on the city page.
Is Orange Middle a good school?
Orange Middle earns 54/100 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 Middle, Orange County Schools also operates Orange High (1,161 students), Cedar Ridge High (1,148 students), and A L Stanback Middle (648 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.