Enrollment
669
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370096000237
South Columbus High — Tabor City, NC
Federal NCES profile for South Columbus High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 27/100.
👥 Class size 34
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 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: Columbus 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)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.6%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Columbus High 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
South Columbus High reports 669 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 99.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 51% above the North Carolina average and 92% above the national baseline. The school offers 6 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 669 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 46.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Columbus County Schools spends $13,748 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 13.5% from local sources (property taxes), 64.6% from the state, and 21.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (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 South Columbus High 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 | 16.5:1 | ▲ 1% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.6% | ▲ 51% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 669 | top 73% | — | — |
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
99.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 51% 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
16.5:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 70% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
46.3%
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
$13,748
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 669 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
238
in-school suspensions + 91 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 35.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 49.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 669 Top 73% in North Carolina — larger than 27% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 16.5:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 99.6% +51% vs state
NCES ID 370096000237
Student demographics
White 61.1%
African American 23.5%
Hispanic or Latino 12.0%
Two or More 2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 61.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 669:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 46.3%
In-school suspensions 238
Out-of-school suspensions 91
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbus County Schools, which includes South Columbus High.
$13,748
Per student
+5%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 13.5%
State 64.6%
Federal 21.9%
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
- 814
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 659
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 576
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 459
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 415
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
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 South Columbus High
How many students attend South Columbus High?
South Columbus High has 669 students enrolled. It is a high school in Tabor City, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Columbus High?
The student-teacher ratio at South Columbus High is 16.5:1, which is 1% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Columbus High?
99.6% of students at South Columbus High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Columbus High?
The largest demographic group at South Columbus High is White at 61.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Tabor City, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Columbus High?
South Columbus High has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (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.