Enrollment
162
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Candler, NC
Pisgah Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Pisgah Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370045000159
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 68
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pisgah Elementary earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of North Carolina schools.
- #1 of 3
- elementary schools in Candler · Resource Index
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.6:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 60.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Pisgah Elementary has class sizes smaller than 89% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pisgah Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Candler, NC.
School address
District: Buncombe County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370045000159 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pisgah Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pisgah Elementary
Pisgah Elementary is a higher-need, small elementary school in Candler, North Carolina, enrolling 162 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.6:1, Pisgah Elementary is leaner than roughly 89% of North Carolina schools and 27% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 60.8% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 91% of North Carolina schools, with 162 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 70 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #10.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and Hispanic or Latino (20%) (diversity index 40/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 162 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights 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 Candler's elementary schools, it stands alongside Enka Intermediate (585 students): Pisgah Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.6:1 vs 15:1).
Buncombe County Schools also operates Roberson High (1,479 students) and Reynolds High (1,169 students) alongside Pisgah 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 Pisgah Elementary compares
Pisgah 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 | 11.6:1 | ▼ 27% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.8% | ▼ 8% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 162 | top 91% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.6:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
162
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% below 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
11.6:1
students per teacher
- 27% below state mean
Top 11% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.4%
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
$13,190
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 162 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: 2.5 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 74.7%
Hispanic or Latino 19.8%
Two or More 4.3%
African American 0.6%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 74.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.1, Pisgah 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 Buncombe County Schools, which includes Pisgah Elementary.
$13,190
Per student
+10%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.2%
State 49.5%
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 Pisgah Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roberson High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Reynolds High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Enka High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Erwin High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Buncombe High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pisgah Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,479
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 1,169
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,051
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,013
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 896
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar elementary schools in Candler
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~162 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pisgah Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Pisgah Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Buncombe 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 Pisgah Elementary
How many students attend Pisgah Elementary?
Pisgah Elementary has 162 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Candler, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pisgah Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Pisgah Elementary is 11.6:1, which is 27% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 26% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pisgah Elementary?
60.8% of students at Pisgah Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pisgah Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Pisgah Elementary is White at 74.7% of enrollment, in Candler, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pisgah Elementary?
Pisgah Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (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 Pisgah Elementary rank among elementary schools in Candler?
By Resource Investment Index, Pisgah Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Candler, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Candler on the city page.
Is Pisgah Elementary a good school?
Pisgah Elementary earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of North Carolina schools. 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 Buncombe County Schools?
Besides Pisgah Elementary, Buncombe County Schools also operates Roberson High (1,479 students), Reynolds High (1,169 students), and Enka High (1,051 students). See the Buncombe 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.