Enrollment
1,963
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Gastonia, NC
Piedmont Community Charter School
Federal NCES profile for Piedmont Community Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370010402520Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 2
📋 Attendance 75
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Piedmont Community Charter School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the largest schools in North Carolina.
- #10 of 15
- schools in Gastonia · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.9:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 1,963
- students enrolled
Piedmont Community Charter School has class sizes larger than 72% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Piedmont Community Charter School ranks #10 of 15 schools in Gastonia, NC.
School address
District: Piedmont Community Charter · North Carolina
NCES ID 370010402520 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
116.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Piedmont Community Charter School compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Piedmont Community Charter School
Piedmont Community Charter School is a large charter combined-grade school in Gastonia, North Carolina, enrolling 1,963 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.9:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Carolina, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,963 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Its student body is led by White (49%) and Hispanic or Latino (23%) (diversity index 66/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 491 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Piedmont Community Charter spends $7,697 per pupil, 36% below the North Carolina average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Gastonia's public schools, it stands alongside Pleasant Ridge Elementary (887 students): Piedmont Community Charter School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.9:1 vs 15.8:1).
Piedmont Community Charter is a single-school charter district, so Piedmont Community Charter School operates independently rather than alongside district-mates. At 1,963 students, it is also among the largest single-school districts in North Carolina, well beyond the enrollment of a typical standalone charter.
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 Piedmont Community Charter School compares
Piedmont Community Charter School 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 | 16.9:1 | ▲ 7% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,963 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.9:1
Leaner classes than 31% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,963
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.9:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 72% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
10.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$7,697
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 491 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
57
in-school suspensions + 147 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 48.8%
Hispanic or Latino 23.4%
African American 19.5%
Two or More 6.8%
Asian 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 48.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.4, Piedmont Community Charter School is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Piedmont Community Charter, which includes Piedmont Community Charter School.
$7,697
Per student
-36%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-54%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.8%
State 62.0%
Federal 12.2%
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.
Similar other schools in Gastonia
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Pleasant Ridge Elementary
Standard public school
887 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
W a Bess Elementary School
Standard public school
674 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
H H Beam Elementary
Standard public school
591 students 21.9:1 students per teacher
Woodhill Elementary
Standard public school
577 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Gardner Park Elementary
Standard public school
560 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Sherwood Elementary
Standard public school
553 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
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 (~1,963 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Piedmont Community Charter School's federal record.
- Compare Piedmont Community Charter School against another school. Compare schools
- Piedmont Community Charter'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 Piedmont Community Charter School
How many students attend Piedmont Community Charter School?
Piedmont Community Charter School has 1,963 students enrolled. It is a public school in Gastonia, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Piedmont Community Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Piedmont Community Charter School is 16.9:1, which is 7% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Piedmont Community Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Piedmont Community Charter School is White at 48.8% of enrollment, in Gastonia, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Piedmont Community Charter School?
Piedmont Community Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 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 Piedmont Community Charter School rank among schools in Gastonia?
By Resource Investment Index, Piedmont Community Charter School ranks #10 of 15 schools in Gastonia, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Gastonia on the city page.
Is Piedmont Community Charter School a good school?
Piedmont Community Charter School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the largest schools in North Carolina. 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 Piedmont Community Charter?
None; Piedmont Community Charter is a single-school charter district, and Piedmont Community Charter School is its only campus.
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.