Enrollment
262
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370075002080
Perry W Harrison Elementary — Pittsboro, NC
Federal NCES profile for Perry W Harrison Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 55/100.
👥 Class size 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 60
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Chatham County Schools · North Carolina
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.0%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Perry W Harrison Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Perry W Harrison Elementary reports 262 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 16.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% below the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 26.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 61% below the North Carolina average and 50% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 262 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Chatham County Schools spends $15,369 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.4% from local sources (property taxes), 46.9% from the state, and 14.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Perry W Harrison Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against North Carolina state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.2:1 | ▼ 13% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.0% | ▼ 61% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 262 | top 18% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
26.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 61% 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
14.2:1
students per teacher
— 13% below state mean
Top 36% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
16.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$15,369
per pupil, district-wide
— above North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 262 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 262 Top 18% in North Carolina — larger than 82% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 16.0
Students per teacher 14.2:1 -13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 26.0% -61% vs state
NCES ID 370075002080
Student demographics
White 71.8%
Hispanic or Latino 9.9%
Two or More 7.6%
African American 7.3%
Asian 3.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 71.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 262:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chatham County Schools, which includes Perry W Harrison Elementary.
$15,369
Per student
+18%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.4%
State 46.9%
Federal 14.8%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,088
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 848
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 736
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 683
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 634
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
Similar other schools in Pittsboro
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Perry W Harrison Elementary
How many students attend Perry W Harrison Elementary?
Perry W Harrison Elementary has 262 students enrolled. It is a other school in Pittsboro, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Perry W Harrison Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Perry W Harrison Elementary is 14.2:1, which is 13% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Perry W Harrison Elementary?
26.0% of students at Perry W Harrison Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Perry W Harrison Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Perry W Harrison Elementary is White at 71.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Pittsboro, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Perry W Harrison Elementary?
Perry W Harrison Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.