Enrollment
523
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Sparta, NC
Sparta Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Sparta Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370012000040
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sparta Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 89% of North Carolina schools.
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 11.6:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 69.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 523
- students enrolled
Sparta Elementary has class sizes smaller than 89% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Alleghany County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370012000040 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sparta Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sparta Elementary
Sparta Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Sparta, North Carolina, enrolling 523 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.6:1, Sparta Elementary is leaner than roughly 89% of North Carolina schools and 27% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 69.5% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 523 students, its enrollment sits close to the North Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 356 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #295, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Hispanic or Latino (35%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 523 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 53.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Alleghany County Schools spends $15,572 per pupil, 30% above the North Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 23.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Alleghany County Schools also operates Alleghany High (395 students) and Glade Creek Elementary (236 students) alongside Sparta Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Sparta Elementary compares
Sparta Elementary on the metrics families compare, against North Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.6:1 | ▼ 27% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.5% | ▲ 5% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 523 | top 46% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.6:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
523
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
69.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% 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
11.6:1
students per teacher
- 27% below state mean
Top 11% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
53.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,572
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 523 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
51
in-school suspensions + 51 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 62.3%
Hispanic or Latino 35.0%
Two or More 2.3%
African American 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 62.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.9, Sparta Elementary is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alleghany County Schools, which includes Sparta Elementary.
$15,572
Per student
+30%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 14.6%
State 61.7%
Federal 23.7%
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.
How Sparta Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alleghany High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Glade Creek Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Piney Creek Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sparta Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 395
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 236
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 198
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~523 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sparta Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Sparta Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Alleghany County Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Sparta Elementary
How many students attend Sparta Elementary?
Sparta Elementary has 523 students enrolled. It is a public school in Sparta, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sparta Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sparta Elementary is 11.6:1, which is 27% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 26% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sparta Elementary?
69.5% of students at Sparta Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sparta Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Sparta Elementary is White at 62.3% of enrollment, in Sparta, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sparta Elementary?
Sparta Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Sparta Elementary a good school?
Sparta Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 89% of North Carolina schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Alleghany County Schools?
Besides Sparta Elementary, Alleghany County Schools also operates Alleghany High (395 students), Glade Creek Elementary (236 students), and Piney Creek Elementary (198 students). See the Alleghany County Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.