Enrollment
321
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Thomasville, NC
Pilot Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Pilot Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370114000477
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 13
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pilot Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #3 of 5
- schools in Thomasville · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.1:1
- students per teacher
- 67.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Pilot Elementary has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pilot Elementary ranks #3 of 5 schools in Thomasville, NC.
School address
District: Davidson County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370114000477 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pilot Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pilot Elementary
Pilot Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Thomasville, North Carolina, enrolling 321 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.1:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 67.3% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 321 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 242 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #163.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 321 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Thomasville's public schools, it stands alongside Thomasville Primary (753 students): Pilot Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.1:1 vs 15.4:1).
Davidson County Schools also operates Oak Grove High (992 students) and North Davidson High (935 students) alongside Pilot 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 Pilot Elementary compares
Pilot 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 | 16.1:1 | ▲ 2% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.3% | ▲ 2% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 321 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.1:1
Leaner classes than 37% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
321
Bigger than 35% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
67.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% 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
16.1:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 64% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
34.9%
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
$10,930
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 321 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.9 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 71.0%
Hispanic or Latino 19.3%
African American 5.6%
Two or More 2.8%
Asian 1.2%
Largest group: White at 71.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.5, Pilot 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 Davidson County Schools, which includes Pilot Elementary.
$10,930
Per student
-9%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.2%
State 62.4%
Federal 21.3%
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 Pilot Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Grove High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Davidson High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Central Davidson High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ledford Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Davidson High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pilot Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 992
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 935
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 897
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 776
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 740
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar other schools in Thomasville
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Thomasville Primary
Standard public school
753 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Fair Grove Elementary
Standard public school
524 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Hasty Elementary
Standard public school
385 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Brier Creek Elementary
Standard public school
210 students 12.4:1 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 (~321 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pilot Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Pilot Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Davidson 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 Pilot Elementary
How many students attend Pilot Elementary?
Pilot Elementary has 321 students enrolled. It is a public school in Thomasville, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pilot Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Pilot Elementary is 16.1:1, which is 2% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pilot Elementary?
67.3% of students at Pilot Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pilot Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Pilot Elementary is White at 71.0% of enrollment, in Thomasville, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pilot Elementary?
Pilot Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical 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 Pilot Elementary rank among schools in Thomasville?
By Resource Investment Index, Pilot Elementary ranks #3 of 5 schools in Thomasville, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Thomasville on the city page.
Is Pilot Elementary a good school?
Pilot Elementary earns 39/100 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 Davidson County Schools?
Besides Pilot Elementary, Davidson County Schools also operates Oak Grove High (992 students), North Davidson High (935 students), and Central Davidson High (897 students). See the Davidson 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.