Enrollment
351
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370058000238
Sawmills Elementary — Granite Falls, NC
Federal NCES profile for Sawmills Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 40
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: Caldwell 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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
70.1%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sawmills Elementary 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
Sawmills Elementary reports 351 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% 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 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 70.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 6% above the North Carolina average and 35% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 351 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Caldwell County Schools spends $12,314 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.5% from local sources (property taxes), 57.4% from the state, and 26.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), 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 Sawmills Elementary 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 | 13.8:1 | ▼ 16% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.1% | ▲ 6% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 351 | top 29% | — | — |
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
70.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 6% 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
13.8:1
students per teacher
— 16% below state mean
Top 30% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
24.2%
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
$12,314
per pupil, district-wide
— below 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 351 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 351 Top 29% in North Carolina — larger than 71% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 13.8:1 -16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 70.1% +6% vs state
NCES ID 370058000238
Student demographics
White 77.5%
Hispanic or Latino 13.1%
Two or More 5.7%
African American 2.0%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 77.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 351:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.2%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Caldwell County Schools, which includes Sawmills Elementary.
$12,314
Per student
-6%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.5%
State 57.4%
Federal 26.1%
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
- 1,272
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Enrollment
- 818
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 665
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 647
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 634
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
Similar other schools in Granite Falls
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Granite Falls Elementary
Standard public school
647 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Dudley Shoals Elementary
Standard public school
433 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Baton Elementary
Standard public school
357 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Gateway School
Alternative education program
53 students 4.8:1 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 Sawmills Elementary
How many students attend Sawmills Elementary?
Sawmills Elementary has 351 students enrolled. It is a other school in Granite Falls, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sawmills Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sawmills Elementary is 13.8:1, which is 16% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 13% 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 Sawmills Elementary?
70.1% of students at Sawmills Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sawmills Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Sawmills Elementary is White at 77.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Granite Falls, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sawmills Elementary?
Sawmills Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) 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.