Enrollment
142
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Saluda, NC
Saluda Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Saluda Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370372001511
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Saluda Elementary School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of North Carolina schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Carolina schools.
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.5:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 39.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 142
- students enrolled
Saluda Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 95% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Polk County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370372001511 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.5:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.7%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Saluda Elementary School compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Saluda Elementary School
Saluda Elementary School is a small combined-grade school in Saluda, North Carolina, enrolling 142 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.5:1, Saluda Elementary School is leaner than roughly 95% of North Carolina schools and 40% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 39.7% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 93% of North Carolina schools, with 142 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 95% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 55 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #17.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 22/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 284 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
16.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Polk County Schools spends $15,096 per pupil, 26% above the North Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Polk County Schools also operates Polk County High School (596 students) and Polk County Middle School (454 students) alongside Saluda Elementary 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 Saluda Elementary School compares
Saluda Elementary 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 | 9.5:1 | ▼ 40% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.7% | ▼ 40% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 142 | top 93% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.5:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
142
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
9.5:1
students per teacher
- 40% below state mean
Top 5% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
16.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$15,096
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 88.0%
Hispanic or Latino 7.0%
Two or More 2.8%
African American 1.4%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 88.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.0, Saluda Elementary School is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk County Schools, which includes Saluda Elementary School.
$15,096
Per student
+26%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Saluda Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Polk County Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Polk Central Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Tryon Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sunny View Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Saluda Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 454
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 379
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 367
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 120
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
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.
Similar enrollment (~142 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Saluda Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Saluda Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Polk 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 Saluda Elementary School
How many students attend Saluda Elementary School?
Saluda Elementary School has 142 students enrolled. It is a public school in Saluda, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Saluda Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Saluda Elementary School is 9.5:1, which is 40% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 39% 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 Saluda Elementary School?
39.7% of students at Saluda Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Saluda Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Saluda Elementary School is White at 88.0% of enrollment, in Saluda, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Saluda Elementary School?
Saluda Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (higher 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).
Is Saluda Elementary School a good school?
Saluda Elementary School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of North Carolina schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Polk County Schools?
Besides Saluda Elementary School, Polk County Schools also operates Polk County High School (596 students), Polk County Middle School (454 students), and Polk Central Elementary School (379 students). See the Polk 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.