Enrollment
82
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370408002607
Rutherford Opportunity Center — Forest City, NC
Federal NCES profile for Rutherford Opportunity Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 56/100.
👥 Class size 72
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 84
📋 Attendance 0
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: Rutherford 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)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-57% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
97.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rutherford Opportunity Center 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
Rutherford Opportunity Center reports 82 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 57% below the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 56% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 97.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% above the North Carolina average and 88% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 82 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Rutherford County Schools spends $16,397 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.0% from local sources (property taxes), 53.8% from the state, and 24.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (C), calculated from 4 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 Rutherford Opportunity Center 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 | 7:1 | ▼ 57% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 97.5% | ▲ 48% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 82 | top 3% | — | — |
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
97.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% 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
7:1
students per teacher
— 57% below state mean
Top 2% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
100.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,397
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 82 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 31 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 45.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 82 Top 3% in North Carolina — larger than 97% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 7:1 -57% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 97.5% +48% vs state
NCES ID 370408002607
Student demographics
White 70.7%
African American 14.6%
Two or More 8.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6.1%
Largest group: White at 70.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 82:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 31
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rutherford County Schools, which includes Rutherford Opportunity Center.
$16,397
Per student
+26%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 763
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 623
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 567
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 561
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
Similar other schools in Forest City
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Forrest W. Hunt Elementary School
Standard public school
460 students 14:1 students per teacher
Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School
Standard public school
459 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Harris Elementary School
Standard public school
434 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Mt. Vernon-Ruth Elementary School
Standard public school
231 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
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 Rutherford Opportunity Center
How many students attend Rutherford Opportunity Center?
Rutherford Opportunity Center has 82 students enrolled. It is a other school in Forest City, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rutherford Opportunity Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Rutherford Opportunity Center is 7:1, which is 57% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 56% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Rutherford Opportunity Center?
97.5% of students at Rutherford Opportunity Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rutherford Opportunity Center?
The largest demographic group at Rutherford Opportunity Center is White at 70.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Forest City, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rutherford Opportunity Center?
Rutherford Opportunity Center has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (C) based on 4 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.