Enrollment
52
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370372003006
Polk County Early College — Columbus, NC
Federal NCES profile for Polk County Early College, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 79
📋 Attendance 86
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Polk County Schools · North Carolina
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
28:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+71% 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
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Polk County Early College reports 52 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 3.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 28:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 71% above the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 76% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 45.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 32% below the North Carolina average and 13% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 104 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 5.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Polk County Schools spends $18,211 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.0% from local sources (property taxes), 50.5% from the state, and 19.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Polk County Early College compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against North Carolina state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 28:1 | ▲ 71% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.2% | ▼ 32% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 52 | top 2% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
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
28:1
students per teacher
— 71% above state mean
Top 98% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
5.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$18,211
per pupil, district-wide
— above North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 104 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 52 Top 2% in North Carolina — larger than 98% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 3.0
Students per teacher 28:1 +71% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 45.2% -32% vs state
NCES ID 370372003006
Student demographics
White 88.5%
Hispanic or Latino 9.6%
Two or More 1.9%
Largest group: White at 88.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 104:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 5.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk County Schools, which includes Polk County Early College.
$18,211
Per student
+40%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 454
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Enrollment
- 379
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Enrollment
- 367
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 142
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
Similar high schools in Columbus
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
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 28:1, which is 71% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 76% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a student body in Columbus, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Polk County Early College?
Polk County Early College has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.