Enrollment
215
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Burgaw, NC
Pender Early College High
Federal NCES profile for Pender Early College High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370357002906
👥 S:T ratio 4
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 99
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pender Early College High earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of North Carolina schools.
- #1 of 6
- public schools in Burgaw · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.9:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 32.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Pender Early College High has class sizes larger than 95% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pender Early College High ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Burgaw, NC.
School address
District: Pender County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370357002906 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.9:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+51% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pender Early College High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pender Early College High
Pender Early College High is a small high school in Burgaw, North Carolina, enrolling 215 students.
Class loads run heavy: 23.9:1 is larger than about 95% of North Carolina schools and 51% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 32.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 215 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 92 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #18.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and Hispanic or Latino (23%) (diversity index 52/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 215 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 0.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 21.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Burgaw's high schools, it stands alongside Pender High (648 students): Pender Early College High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (23.9:1 vs 19.1:1).
Pender County Schools also operates Topsail High (1,945 students) and Surf City Elementary (857 students) alongside Pender Early College 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 Pender Early College High compares
Pender Early College 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 | 23.9:1 | ▲ 51% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.5% | ▼ 51% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 215 | top 87% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.9:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
215
Bigger than 21% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
23.9:1
students per teacher
- 51% above state mean
Top 95% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
0.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$11,305
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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 215 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 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 65.1%
Hispanic or Latino 23.3%
Two or More 5.6%
African American 4.7%
Asian 1.4%
Largest group: White at 65.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.6, Pender Early College High is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pender County Schools, which includes Pender Early College High.
$11,305
Per student
-6%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Pender Early College High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topsail High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Surf City Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Topsail Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Surf City Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Heide Trask High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pender Early College High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,945
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 857
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 837
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 752
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 732
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar high schools in Burgaw
1 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 (~215 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pender Early College High's federal record.
- Compare Pender Early College High against another school. Compare schools
- Pender 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 Pender Early College High
How many students attend Pender Early College High?
Pender Early College High has 215 students enrolled. It is a high school in Burgaw, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pender Early College High?
The student-teacher ratio at Pender Early College High is 23.9:1, which is 51% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 52% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pender Early College High?
32.5% of students at Pender Early College High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pender Early College High?
The largest demographic group at Pender Early College High is White at 65.1% of enrollment, in Burgaw, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pender Early College High?
Pender Early College High has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Pender Early College High rank among public schools in Burgaw?
By Resource Investment Index, Pender Early College High ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Burgaw, 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 Burgaw on the city page.
Is Pender Early College High a good school?
Pender Early College High earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of 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 Pender County Schools?
Besides Pender Early College High, Pender County Schools also operates Topsail High (1,945 students), Surf City Elementary (857 students), and Topsail Middle (837 students). See the Pender 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.