Enrollment
332
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370027002749
School of Inquiry and Life Sciences — Asheville, NC
Federal NCES profile for School of Inquiry and Life Sciences, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 2
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 8
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: Asheville City 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)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.6:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.0%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How School of Inquiry and Life Sciences 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
School of Inquiry and Life Sciences reports 332 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 24.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 50% above the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 55% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 32.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 52% below the North Carolina average and 38% below the national baseline. The school offers 11 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 332 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 37.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Asheville City Schools spends $16,748 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 45.0% from local sources (property taxes), 40.4% from the state, and 14.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 School of Inquiry and Life Sciences 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 | 24.6:1 | ▲ 50% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.0% | ▼ 52% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 332 | top 26% | — | — |
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
32.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 52% 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
24.6:1
students per teacher
— 50% above state mean
Top 97% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
37.0%
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
$16,748
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 332 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 332 Top 26% in North Carolina — larger than 74% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 24.6:1 +50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 32.0% -52% vs state
NCES ID 370027002749
Student demographics
White 64.5%
African American 19.3%
Hispanic or Latino 10.5%
Two or More 4.2%
Asian 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 64.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 332:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 37.0%
In-school suspensions 20
Out-of-school suspensions 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Asheville City Schools, which includes School of Inquiry and Life Sciences.
$16,748
Per student
+28%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 45.0%
State 40.4%
Federal 14.6%
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
- 1,221
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 670
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 405
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 390
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 369
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
Similar high schools in Asheville
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Roberson High
Standard public school
1,479 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Asheville High
Standard public school
1,221 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Reynolds High
Standard public school
1,169 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Erwin High
Standard public school
1,013 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Nesbitt Discovery Academy
Standard public school
372 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Early College
Standard public school
271 students 24.9:1 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 School of Inquiry and Life Sciences
How many students attend School of Inquiry and Life Sciences?
School of Inquiry and Life Sciences has 332 students enrolled. It is a high school in Asheville, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at School of Inquiry and Life Sciences?
The student-teacher ratio at School of Inquiry and Life Sciences is 24.6:1, which is 50% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 55% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at School of Inquiry and Life Sciences?
32.0% of students at School of Inquiry and Life Sciences are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of School of Inquiry and Life Sciences?
The largest demographic group at School of Inquiry and Life Sciences is White at 64.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Asheville, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for School of Inquiry and Life Sciences?
School of Inquiry and Life Sciences has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.