Enrollment
281
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 370465003308
Stem Early High — Henderson, NC
Federal NCES profile for Stem Early High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 21
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 18
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: Vance 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)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.8:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Stem Early 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
Stem Early High reports 281 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 13.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% 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 25% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 98.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 50% above the North Carolina average and 91% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 281 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Vance County Schools spends $14,113 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 15.4% from local sources (property taxes), 61.3% from the state, and 23.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), 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 Stem Early 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 | 19.8:1 | ▲ 21% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.8% | ▲ 50% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 281 | top 21% | — | — |
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
98.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 50% 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
19.8:1
students per teacher
— 21% above state mean
Top 91% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.7%
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
$14,113
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 281 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 281 Top 21% in North Carolina — larger than 79% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 13.0
Students per teacher 19.8:1 +21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 98.8% +50% vs state
NCES ID 370465003308
Student demographics
African American 47.7%
Hispanic or Latino 31.0%
White 15.7%
Two or More 2.8%
Asian 2.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 47.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 281:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 19
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Vance County Schools, which includes Stem Early High.
$14,113
Per student
+8%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 15.4%
State 61.3%
Federal 23.3%
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
- 1,064
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 755
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 385
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Enrollment
- 376
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 364
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
Similar middle schools in Henderson
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Stem Early High
How many students attend Stem Early High?
Stem Early High has 281 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Henderson, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Stem Early High?
The student-teacher ratio at Stem Early High is 19.8:1, which is 21% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Stem Early High?
98.8% of students at Stem Early High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Stem Early High?
The largest demographic group at Stem Early High is African American at 47.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Henderson, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Stem Early High?
Stem Early High has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) 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.