Enrollment
340
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Whittier, NC
Smokey Mountain Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Smokey Mountain Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370234002067
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Smokey Mountain Elementary earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.2:1
- students per teacher
- 70.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 340
- students enrolled
Smokey Mountain Elementary has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Jackson County Public Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370234002067 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 15.8:1 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
What stands out at Smokey Mountain Elementary
Smokey Mountain Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Whittier, North Carolina, enrolling 340 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 70.3% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 340 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 238 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #183, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (37%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (33%) (diversity index 72/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 340 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 51.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Jackson County Public Schools also operates Smoky Mountain High School (881 students) and Fairview Elementary (797 students) alongside Smokey Mountain Elementary.
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 Smokey Mountain Elementary compares
Smokey Mountain Elementary 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 | 14.2:1 | ▼ 10% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.3% | ▲ 7% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 340 | top 72% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.2:1
Leaner classes than 55% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
340
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
14.2:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 37% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
51.5%
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
$13,534
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
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 71.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 71.8, Smokey Mountain Elementary is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jackson County Public Schools, which includes Smokey Mountain Elementary.
$13,534
Per student
+13%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Smokey Mountain Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoky Mountain High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fairview Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cullowhee Valley School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Scotts Creek Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Blue Ridge School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Smokey Mountain Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 881
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 797
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 570
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 422
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 144
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
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 (~340 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Smokey Mountain Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Smokey Mountain Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Jackson County Public 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 Smokey Mountain Elementary
How many students attend Smokey Mountain Elementary?
Smokey Mountain Elementary has 340 students enrolled. It is a public school in Whittier, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smokey Mountain Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Smokey Mountain Elementary is 14.2:1, which is 10% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 10% 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 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% of enrollment, in Whittier, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smokey Mountain Elementary?
Smokey Mountain Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical 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 Smokey Mountain Elementary a good school?
Smokey Mountain Elementary earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. 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 Jackson County Public Schools?
Besides Smokey Mountain Elementary, Jackson County Public Schools also operates Smoky Mountain High School (881 students), Fairview Elementary (797 students), and Cullowhee Valley School (570 students). See the Jackson County Public 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.