Other / mixed grade configuration · Monroe, NC

Rocky River Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Rocky River Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370462002828
0/100100/10035/100
👥 S:T ratio
46
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Rocky River Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of North Carolina schools.

#8 of 14
schools in Monroe · Resource Index
35
Resource Index · Typical
13.4:1
small classes for North Carolina
69.5%
free-lunch eligible

Rocky River Elementary has class sizes smaller than 73% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Rocky River Elementary ranks #8 of 14 schools in Monroe, NC.

Enrollment

536

North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

40.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

13.4:1

vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg

-15% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

69.5%

vs 66.0% North Carolina avg

+5% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Rocky River Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Rocky River Elementary

Rocky River Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Monroe, North Carolina, enrolling 536 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 69.5% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

With 536 students, its enrollment sits close to the North Carolina median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.

Against 357 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #230.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (36%) and White (34%) (diversity index 70/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 536 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 15.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Monroe's public schools, it stands alongside Union Academy (2,186 students): Rocky River Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.4:1 vs 17.6:1).

Union County Public Schools also operates Marvin Ridge High (1,961 students) and Weddington High (1,899 students) alongside Rocky River 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 Rocky River Elementary compares

Rocky River 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 13.4:1 ▼ 15% 15.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 69.5% ▲ 5% 66.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 536 top 44% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
536
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
69.5%
free-lunch eligible - 5% 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
13.4:1
students per teacher - 15% below state mean
Top 27% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
31.2%
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
$11,010
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 536 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.9 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

Hispanic or Latino 36.4%
White 34.1%
African American 21.8%
Two or More 6.7%
Asian 0.9%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 36.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 69.9/100

Simpson diversity index - at 69.9, Rocky River Elementary is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Union County Public Schools, which includes Rocky River Elementary.

$11,010
Per student
-8%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.9%
State 55.8%
Federal 15.3%

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 Rocky River Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Marvin Ridge High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Weddington High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Cuthbertson High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Porter Ridge High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Porter Ridge Middle School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Rocky River Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Union County Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Monroe

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Rocky River Elementary's federal record.

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 Rocky River Elementary

How many students attend Rocky River Elementary?

Rocky River Elementary has 536 students enrolled. It is a public school in Monroe, NC.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Rocky River Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Rocky River Elementary is 13.4:1, which is 15% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 15% 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 Rocky River Elementary?

69.5% of students at Rocky River Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rocky River Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Rocky River Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 36.4% of enrollment, in Monroe, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.9/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Rocky River Elementary?

Rocky River Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Rocky River Elementary rank among schools in Monroe?

By Resource Investment Index, Rocky River Elementary ranks #8 of 14 schools in Monroe, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Monroe on the city page.

Is Rocky River Elementary a good school?

Rocky River Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% 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 Union County Public Schools?

Besides Rocky River Elementary, Union County Public Schools also operates Marvin Ridge High (1,961 students), Weddington High (1,899 students), and Cuthbertson High (1,857 students). See the Union County Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.