Enrollment
653
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370268002674
St James Elementary — Denver, NC
Federal NCES profile for St James Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 79
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: Lincoln 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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How St James 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
St James Elementary reports 653 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.6:1 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 11% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 24.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 63% below the North Carolina average and 53% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 327 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lincoln County Schools spends $11,236 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.4% from local sources (property taxes), 58.7% from the state, and 18.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), 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 St James 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 | 17.6:1 | ▲ 7% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.3% | ▼ 63% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 653 | top 71% | — | — |
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
24.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 63% 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
17.6:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 80% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
8.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$11,236
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 327 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 653 Top 71% in North Carolina — larger than 29% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 17.6:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 24.3% -63% vs state
NCES ID 370268002674
Student demographics
White 79.6%
Hispanic or Latino 9.5%
Two or More 5.8%
African American 3.5%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 79.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 327:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.3%
In-school suspensions 16
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lincoln County Schools, which includes St James Elementary.
$11,236
Per student
-14%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.4%
State 58.7%
Federal 18.8%
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
- 1,126
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Enrollment
- 1,047
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Enrollment
- 797
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 774
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 738
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
Similar other schools in Denver
3 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 St James Elementary
How many students attend St James Elementary?
St James Elementary has 653 students enrolled. It is a other school in Denver, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at St James Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at St James Elementary is 17.6:1, which is 7% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at St James Elementary?
24.3% of students at St James Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of St James Elementary?
The largest demographic group at St James Elementary is White at 79.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Denver, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for St James Elementary?
St James Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) 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.