Enrollment
930
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Salisbury, NC
Salisbury High
Federal NCES profile for Salisbury High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370405002253
👥 S:T ratio 30
📚 AP courses 65
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Salisbury High earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of North Carolina schools.
- #3 of 3
- high schools in Salisbury · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.5:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 65.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Salisbury High has class sizes larger than 77% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Salisbury High ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Salisbury, NC.
School address
District: Rowan-Salisbury Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370405002253 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Salisbury High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Salisbury High
Salisbury High is a higher-need, large high school in Salisbury, North Carolina, enrolling 930 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.5:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 65.5% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 930 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 240 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #148.
Its student body is led by African American (43%) and Hispanic or Latino (34%) (diversity index 67/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 13 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 310 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 66.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 210 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 930 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Salisbury's high schools, it stands alongside East Rowan High (986 students): Salisbury High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.5:1 vs 17:1).
Rowan-Salisbury Schools also operates Carson High (1,063 students) and West Rowan High (988 students) alongside Salisbury High.
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 Salisbury High compares
Salisbury High 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 | 17.5:1 | ▲ 11% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.5% | ▼ 1% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 930 | top 12% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.5:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
930
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
65.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 1% 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
17.5:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 77% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
66.7%
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
$11,832
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 310 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
89
in-school suspensions + 121 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.6 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
African American 43.1%
Hispanic or Latino 34.4%
White 14.9%
Two or More 5.6%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: African American at 43.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.0, Salisbury High is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 13
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rowan-Salisbury Schools, which includes Salisbury High.
$11,832
Per student
-2%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.6%
State 60.4%
Federal 21.0%
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 Salisbury High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carson High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Rowan High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Rowan High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| South Rowan High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Erwin Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Salisbury High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,063
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 988
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 986
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 932
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 763
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar high schools in Salisbury
2 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 (~930 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Salisbury High's federal record.
- Compare Salisbury High against another school. Compare schools
- Rowan-Salisbury 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 Salisbury High
How many students attend Salisbury High?
Salisbury High has 930 students enrolled. It is a high school in Salisbury, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Salisbury High?
The student-teacher ratio at Salisbury High is 17.5:1, which is 11% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Salisbury High?
65.5% of students at Salisbury High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Salisbury High?
The largest demographic group at Salisbury High is African American at 43.1% of enrollment, in Salisbury, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salisbury High?
Salisbury High has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Salisbury High rank among high schools in Salisbury?
By Resource Investment Index, Salisbury High ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Salisbury, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Salisbury on the city page.
Is Salisbury High a good school?
Salisbury High earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% 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 Rowan-Salisbury Schools?
Besides Salisbury High, Rowan-Salisbury Schools also operates Carson High (1,063 students), West Rowan High (988 students), and East Rowan High (986 students). See the Rowan-Salisbury 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.