Enrollment
1,355
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370237001029
South Johnston High — Four Oaks, NC
Federal NCES profile for South Johnston High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 30
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 22
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: Johnston 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)
76.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Johnston 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 Johnston High reports 1,355 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 76.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% 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 10% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 53.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 19% below the North Carolina average and 3% above the national baseline. The school offers 1 Advanced Placement course, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 339 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Johnston County Public Schools spends $11,360 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 20.7% from local sources (property taxes), 62.2% from the state, and 17.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Johnston 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 | 17.5:1 | ▲ 7% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.3% | ▼ 19% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,355 | top 95% | — | — |
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
53.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 19% below 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
17.5:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 79% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.4%
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
$11,360
per pupil, district-wide
— below North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 339 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
152
in-school suspensions + 155 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 16 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,355 Top 95% in North Carolina — larger than 5% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 76.0
Students per teacher 17.5:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 53.3% -19% vs state
NCES ID 370237001029
Student demographics
White 47.4%
Hispanic or Latino 35.8%
African American 12.3%
Two or More 3.8%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 47.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 339:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.4%
In-school suspensions 152
Out-of-school suspensions 155
Expulsions 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Johnston County Public Schools, which includes South Johnston High.
$11,360
Per student
-13%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 20.7%
State 62.2%
Federal 17.1%
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
- 2,187
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,929
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,889
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,563
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,548
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
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 Johnston High
How many students attend South Johnston High?
South Johnston High has 1,355 students enrolled. It is a high school in Four Oaks, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Johnston High?
The student-teacher ratio at South Johnston High is 17.5:1, which is 7% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Johnston High?
53.3% of students at South Johnston High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Johnston High?
The largest demographic group at South Johnston High is White at 47.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Four Oaks, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Johnston High?
South Johnston High has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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.