Enrollment
989
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370162000711
South Point High — Belmont, NC
Federal NCES profile for South Point High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 26
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 4
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: Gaston 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)
52.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.9%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Point 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 Point High reports 989 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 52.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% 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 16% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 28.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 56% below the North Carolina average and 44% below the national baseline. The school offers 18 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 304 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Gaston County Schools spends $11,856 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.3% from local sources (property taxes), 64.3% from the state, and 19.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), 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 Point 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 | 18.4:1 | ▲ 12% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.9% | ▼ 56% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 989 | top 89% | — | — |
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
28.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 56% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.4:1
students per teacher
— 12% above state mean
Top 85% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.3%
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
$11,856
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
Counselors3.3 FTE
Per 304 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
119
in-school suspensions + 100 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 989 Top 89% in North Carolina — larger than 11% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 52.0
Students per teacher 18.4:1 +12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 28.9% -56% vs state
NCES ID 370162000711
Student demographics
White 67.3%
Hispanic or Latino 12.9%
African American 12.0%
Two or More 4.2%
Asian 3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 67.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 18
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.3
Students per counselor 304:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.3%
In-school suspensions 119
Out-of-school suspensions 100
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gaston County Schools, which includes South Point High.
$11,856
Per student
-9%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.3%
State 64.3%
Federal 19.4%
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
- 1,386
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,165
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,133
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Enrollment
- 1,061
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 959
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
Similar high schools in Belmont
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 Point High
How many students attend South Point High?
South Point High has 989 students enrolled. It is a high school in Belmont, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Point High?
The student-teacher ratio at South Point High is 18.4:1, which is 12% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Point High?
28.9% of students at South Point High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Point High?
The largest demographic group at South Point High is White at 67.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Belmont, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Point High?
South Point High has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) 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.