Enrollment
52
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Columbus, NC
Polk County Early College
Federal NCES profile for Polk County Early College, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370372003006
👥 S:T ratio 31
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 79
📋 Attendance 86
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Polk County Early College earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in North Carolina.
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.3:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 45.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 52
- students enrolled
Polk County Early College has class sizes larger than 75% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Polk County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370372003006 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.2%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Polk County Early College compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Polk County Early College
Polk County Early College is a small high school in Columbus, North Carolina, enrolling 52 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.3:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 45.2% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 98% of North Carolina schools, with 52 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 98% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 21/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 104 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 5.8% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Polk County Schools spends $15,096 per pupil, 26% above the North Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Columbus's high schools, it stands alongside Polk County High School (596 students): Polk County Early College is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.3:1 vs 14.9:1).
Polk County Schools also operates Polk County High School (596 students) and Polk County Middle School (454 students) alongside Polk County Early College.
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 Polk County Early College compares
Polk County Early College 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 | 17.3:1 | ▲ 9% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.2% | ▼ 32% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 52 | top 98% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.3:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
52
Bigger than 6% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
45.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 32% 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
17.3:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 75% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
5.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$15,096
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 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 88.5%
Hispanic or Latino 9.6%
Two or More 1.9%
Largest group: White at 88.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 20.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 20.7, Polk County Early College is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk County Schools, which includes Polk County Early College.
$15,096
Per student
+26%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.0%
State 50.5%
Federal 19.5%
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 Polk County Early College Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Polk County Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Polk Central Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Tryon Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Saluda Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Polk County Early College's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 454
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 379
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 367
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 142
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
Similar high schools in Columbus
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 (~52 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Polk County Early College's federal record.
- Compare Polk County Early College against another school. Compare schools
- Polk 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 Polk County Early College
How many students attend Polk County Early College?
Polk County Early College has 52 students enrolled. It is a high school in Columbus, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Polk County Early College?
The student-teacher ratio at Polk County Early College is 17.3:1, which is 9% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Polk County Early College?
45.2% of students at Polk County Early College are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Polk County Early College?
The largest demographic group at Polk County Early College is White at 88.5% of enrollment, in Columbus, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Polk County Early College?
Polk County Early College has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Polk County Early College a good school?
Polk County Early College earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest 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 Polk County Schools?
Besides Polk County Early College, Polk County Schools also operates Polk County High School (596 students), Polk County Middle School (454 students), and Polk Central Elementary School (379 students). See the Polk 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.