Enrollment
262
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Pittsboro, NC
Perry W Harrison Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Perry W Harrison Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370075002080
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Perry W Harrison Elementary earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #1 of 3
- schools in Pittsboro · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.4:1
- students per teacher
- 26.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Perry W Harrison Elementary has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Perry W Harrison Elementary ranks #1 of 3 schools in Pittsboro, NC.
School address
District: Chatham County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370075002080 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+4% 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
What stands out at Perry W Harrison Elementary
Perry W Harrison Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Pittsboro, North Carolina, enrolling 262 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.4:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 26.0% free-meal eligibility runs 61% below the North Carolina average.
Enrollment of 262 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 89 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #39.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (10%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 262 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
16.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Pittsboro's public schools, it stands alongside Chatham Grove Elementary (683 students): Perry W Harrison Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.4:1 vs 14.8:1).
Chatham County Schools also operates Seaforth High (1,088 students) and Jordan Matthews High (848 students) alongside Perry W Harrison Elementary.
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 Perry W Harrison Elementary compares
Perry W Harrison Elementary 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 | 16.4:1 | ▲ 4% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.0% | ▼ 61% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 262 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
262
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
26.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 61% 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
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 67% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,461
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
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 46.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.3, Perry W Harrison Elementary is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chatham County Schools, which includes Perry W Harrison Elementary.
$13,461
Per student
+12%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Perry W Harrison Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seaforth High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jordan Matthews High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Margaret B. Pollard Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chatham Grove Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Northwood High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Perry W Harrison Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,088
- Students per teacher
- 27.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 848
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 736
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 683
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 634
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar other schools in Pittsboro
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~262 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Perry W Harrison Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Perry W Harrison Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Chatham 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 Perry W Harrison Elementary
How many students attend Perry W Harrison Elementary?
Perry W Harrison Elementary has 262 students enrolled. It is a public 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 16.4:1, which is 4% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Pittsboro, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Perry W Harrison Elementary?
Perry W Harrison Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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 Perry W Harrison Elementary rank among schools in Pittsboro?
By Resource Investment Index, Perry W Harrison Elementary ranks #1 of 3 schools in Pittsboro, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Pittsboro on the city page.
Is Perry W Harrison Elementary a good school?
Perry W Harrison Elementary earns 53/100 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 Chatham County Schools?
Besides Perry W Harrison Elementary, Chatham County Schools also operates Seaforth High (1,088 students), Jordan Matthews High (848 students), and Margaret B. Pollard Middle (736 students). See the Chatham 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.