Enrollment
340
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370234002067
Smokey Mountain Elementary — Whittier, NC
Federal NCES profile for Smokey Mountain Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 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: Jackson County Public 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
14.7:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
70.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smokey Mountain 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
Smokey Mountain Elementary reports 340 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 8% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 70.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 7% above the North Carolina average and 36% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 340 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 51.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Jackson County Public Schools spends $14,416 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.8% from local sources (property taxes), 51.8% from the state, and 24.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), 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 Smokey Mountain 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 | 14.7:1 | ▼ 10% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.3% | ▲ 7% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 340 | top 28% | — | — |
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
70.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 7% 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
14.7:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 44% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
51.5%
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
$14,416
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 340 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 30 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 340 Top 28% in North Carolina — larger than 72% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 14.7:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 70.3% +7% vs state
NCES ID 370234002067
Student demographics
White 36.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 32.6%
Hispanic or Latino 15.6%
Two or More 12.6%
Asian 1.5%
African American 0.9%
Largest group: White at 36.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 340:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 51.5%
In-school suspensions 29
Out-of-school suspensions 30
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jackson County Public Schools, which includes Smokey Mountain Elementary.
$14,416
Per student
+11%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 23.8%
State 51.8%
Federal 24.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 881
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 797
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 570
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 422
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 144
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
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 Smokey Mountain Elementary
How many students attend Smokey Mountain Elementary?
Smokey Mountain Elementary has 340 students enrolled. It is a other school in Whittier, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smokey Mountain Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Smokey Mountain Elementary is 14.7:1, which is 10% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 8% 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 Smokey Mountain Elementary?
70.3% of students at Smokey Mountain Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Smokey Mountain Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Smokey Mountain Elementary is White at 36.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Whittier, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smokey Mountain Elementary?
Smokey Mountain Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) 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.