Enrollment
1,384
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370126000550
Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi — Durham, NC
Federal NCES profile for Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 34
📚 AP courses 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 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: Durham 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)
78.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi 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
Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi reports 1,384 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 78.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 0% 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 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 99.8% 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 93% above the national baseline. The school offers 9 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 277 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 55.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Durham Public Schools spends $17,524 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.5% from local sources (property taxes), 46.0% from the state, and 19.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi 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 | 16.4:1 | ▼ 0% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.8% | ▲ 51% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,384 | 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
99.8%
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
16.4:1
students per teacher
— 0% above state mean
Top 68% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
55.6%
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
$17,524
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 277 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
72
in-school suspensions + 179 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,384 Top 95% in North Carolina — larger than 5% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 78.0
Students per teacher 16.4:1 +0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 99.8% +51% vs state
NCES ID 370126000550
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 48.3%
African American 45.1%
Two or More 3.3%
White 2.3%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 48.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 9
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 277:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 55.6%
In-school suspensions 72
Out-of-school suspensions 179
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Durham Public Schools, which includes Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi.
$17,524
Per student
+34%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.5%
State 46.0%
Federal 19.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,189
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,900
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,764
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,433
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,281
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
Similar high schools in Durham
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
C E Jordan High
Standard public school
2,189 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Riverside High
Standard public school
1,900 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Hillside High
Standard public school
1,433 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Northern High
Standard public school
1,281 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Research Triangle High School
Standard public school
572 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
J D Clement Early College Hs
Standard public school
380 students 26.3:1 students per teacher
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 Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi
How many students attend Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi?
Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi has 1,384 students enrolled. It is a high school in Durham, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi?
The student-teacher ratio at Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi is 16.4:1, which is 0% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi?
99.8% of students at Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi?
The largest demographic group at Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi is Hispanic or Latino at 48.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Durham, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi?
Southern School of Energy and Sustainabi has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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.