Enrollment
208
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Spindale, NC
Rutherford Early College High School
Federal NCES profile for Rutherford Early College High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370408002793
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rutherford Early College High School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of North Carolina schools.
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 34.7:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 98.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 208
- students enrolled
Rutherford Early College High School has class sizes larger than 99% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Rutherford County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370408002793 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
34.7:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+120% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rutherford Early College High School compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rutherford Early College High School
Rutherford Early College High School is a high-poverty, small high school in Spindale, North Carolina, enrolling 208 students.
Class loads run heavy: 34.7:1 is larger than about 99% of North Carolina schools and 120% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 98.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 208 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 178 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #77.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (14%) (diversity index 46/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 208 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 24.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Rutherford County Schools also operates R-S Central High School (763 students) and East Rutherford High School (623 students) alongside Rutherford Early College High School.
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 Rutherford Early College High School compares
Rutherford Early College High School 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 | 34.7:1 | ▲ 120% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.4% | ▲ 49% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 208 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
34.7:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
208
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
98.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 49% 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
34.7:1
students per teacher
- 120% above state mean
Top 99% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
19.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$14,170
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 208 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.4 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 71.6%
Hispanic or Latino 13.9%
Two or More 5.8%
Asian 4.3%
African American 3.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 71.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.1, Rutherford Early College High School 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 Rutherford County Schools, which includes Rutherford Early College High School.
$14,170
Per student
+18%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.0%
State 53.8%
Federal 24.2%
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 Rutherford Early College High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-S Central High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| East Rutherford High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Chase High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ellenboro Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| R-S Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rutherford Early College High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 763
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 623
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 567
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 561
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
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 (~208 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rutherford Early College High School's federal record.
- Compare Rutherford Early College High School against another school. Compare schools
- Rutherford 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 Rutherford Early College High School
How many students attend Rutherford Early College High School?
Rutherford Early College High School has 208 students enrolled. It is a high school in Spindale, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rutherford Early College High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Rutherford Early College High School is 34.7:1, which is 120% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 121% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Rutherford Early College High School?
98.4% of students at Rutherford Early College High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rutherford Early College High School?
The largest demographic group at Rutherford Early College High School is White at 71.6% of enrollment, in Spindale, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rutherford Early College High School?
Rutherford Early College High School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical 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 Rutherford Early College High School a good school?
Rutherford Early College High School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% 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 Rutherford County Schools?
Besides Rutherford Early College High School, Rutherford County Schools also operates R-S Central High School (763 students), East Rutherford High School (623 students), and Chase High School (596 students). See the Rutherford 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.