Enrollment
235
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370066000128
South Elementary — Mebane, NC
Federal NCES profile for South Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 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: Caswell 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)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South 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
South Elementary reports 235 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 16.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 96.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% above the North Carolina average and 86% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 235 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 43.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Caswell County Schools spends $18,175 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 10.9% from local sources (property taxes), 65.1% from the state, and 24.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 South 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 | 15.8:1 | ▼ 4% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.4% | ▲ 46% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 235 | top 15% | — | — |
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
96.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% 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
15.8:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 61% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
43.0%
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
$18,175
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 235 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 235 Top 15% in North Carolina — larger than 85% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 16.0
Students per teacher 15.8:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 96.4% +46% vs state
NCES ID 370066000128
Student demographics
White 51.9%
African American 31.5%
Hispanic or Latino 9.4%
Two or More 6.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 51.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 235:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 43.0%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 36
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Caswell County Schools, which includes South Elementary.
$18,175
Per student
+39%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 10.9%
State 65.1%
Federal 24.1%
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
- 635
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Enrollment
- 432
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 336
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 320
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 140
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
Similar other schools in Mebane
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Elementary
How many students attend South Elementary?
South Elementary has 235 students enrolled. It is a other school in Mebane, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at South Elementary is 15.8:1, which is 4% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 1% 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 South Elementary?
96.4% of students at South Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Elementary?
The largest demographic group at South Elementary is White at 51.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Mebane, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Elementary?
South Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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.