Enrollment
648
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Burgaw, NC
Pender High
Federal NCES profile for Pender High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370357001466
👥 S:T ratio 24
📚 AP courses 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pender High earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of North Carolina schools.
- #4 of 6
- public schools in Burgaw · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.1:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 66.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Pender High has class sizes larger than 87% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pender High ranks #4 of 6 public schools in Burgaw, NC.
School address
District: Pender County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370357001466 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pender High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pender High
Pender High is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Burgaw, North Carolina, enrolling 648 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.1:1 is larger than about 87% of North Carolina schools and 21% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 66.5% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 648 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 379 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #289, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (41%) and African American (31%) (diversity index 68/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 5 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 324 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 44.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 173 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 648 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Burgaw's high schools, it stands alongside Pender Early College High (215 students): Pender High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.1:1 vs 23.9:1).
Pender County Schools also operates Topsail High (1,945 students) and Surf City Elementary (857 students) alongside Pender 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 High compares
Pender 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 | 19.1:1 | ▲ 21% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.5% | ▲ 1% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 648 | top 30% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.1:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
648
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
66.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 1% 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
19.1:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 87% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
44.3%
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
$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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 324 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
106
in-school suspensions + 67 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 26.7 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 40.9%
African American 31.0%
Hispanic or Latino 23.3%
Two or More 3.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 40.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.1, Pender High is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pender County Schools, which includes Pender 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 High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topsail High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Surf City Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Topsail Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Surf City Middle | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Heide Trask High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pender 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 (~648 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pender High's federal record.
- Compare Pender 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 High
How many students attend Pender High?
Pender High has 648 students enrolled. It is a high school in Burgaw, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pender High?
The student-teacher ratio at Pender High is 19.1:1, which is 21% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 22% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pender High?
66.5% of students at Pender High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pender High?
The largest demographic group at Pender High is White at 40.9% of enrollment, in Burgaw, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pender High?
Pender High has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower 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 Pender High rank among public schools in Burgaw?
By Resource Investment Index, Pender High ranks #4 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 High a good school?
Pender High earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% 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 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.