Enrollment
2,290
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Southern Pines, NC
Pinecrest High
Federal NCES profile for Pinecrest High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370309001321
👥 S:T ratio 9
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pinecrest High earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the largest schools in North Carolina.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Southern Pines · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 22.7:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 32.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Pinecrest High has class sizes larger than 94% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pinecrest High ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Southern Pines, NC.
School address
District: Moore County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370309001321 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
101.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.7:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+44% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.0%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pinecrest High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pinecrest High
Pinecrest High is a large high school in Southern Pines, North Carolina, enrolling 2,290 students.
Class loads run heavy: 22.7:1 is larger than about 94% of North Carolina schools and 44% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 32.0% free-meal eligibility runs 52% below the North Carolina average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Carolina, bigger than 99% of state schools at 2,290 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 59 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #31.
Its student body is led by White (60%) and African American (17%) (diversity index 59/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 24 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 327 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Moore County Schools also operates Union Pines High (1,462 students) and West Pine Middle (717 students) alongside Pinecrest 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 Pinecrest High compares
Pinecrest 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 | 22.7:1 | ▲ 44% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.0% | ▼ 52% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 2,290 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.7:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
2,290
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 52% 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
22.7:1
students per teacher
- 44% above state mean
Top 94% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
28.2%
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
$11,242
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
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 327 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
192
in-school suspensions + 95 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.5 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 59.7%
African American 16.5%
Hispanic or Latino 14.1%
Two or More 7.0%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Largest group: White at 59.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.1, Pinecrest High is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 24
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Moore County Schools, which includes Pinecrest High.
$11,242
Per student
-6%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.6%
State 57.2%
Federal 19.2%
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 Pinecrest High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Pines High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| West Pine Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mcdeeds Creek Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Aberdeen Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Southern Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pinecrest High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,462
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 717
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 707
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 675
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 620
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~2,290 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pinecrest High's federal record.
- Compare Pinecrest High against another school. Compare schools
- Moore 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 Pinecrest High
How many students attend Pinecrest High?
Pinecrest High has 2,290 students enrolled. It is a high school in Southern Pines, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pinecrest High?
The student-teacher ratio at Pinecrest High is 22.7:1, which is 44% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 45% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pinecrest High?
32.0% of students at Pinecrest High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pinecrest High?
The largest demographic group at Pinecrest High is White at 59.7% of enrollment, in Southern Pines, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pinecrest High?
Pinecrest High has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 Pinecrest High rank among public schools in Southern Pines?
By Resource Investment Index, Pinecrest High ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Southern Pines, 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 Southern Pines on the city page.
Is Pinecrest High a good school?
Pinecrest High earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% 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 Moore County Schools?
Besides Pinecrest High, Moore County Schools also operates Union Pines High (1,462 students), West Pine Middle (717 students), and Mcdeeds Creek Elementary (707 students). See the Moore 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.