Enrollment
1,591
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370008902472 Charter school
Sugar Creek Charter — Charlotte, NC
Federal NCES profile for Sugar Creek Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 17/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 3
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: Sugar Creek Charter · 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)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
30:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+83% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sugar Creek Charter 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
Sugar Creek Charter reports 1,591 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 53.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 30:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 83% 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 89% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 96.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% above the North Carolina average and 86% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 318 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 39.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sugar Creek Charter spends $16,872 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.4% from local sources (property taxes), 52.1% from the state, and 24.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 17/100 (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 Sugar Creek Charter 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 | 30:1 | ▲ 83% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.5% | ▲ 46% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,591 | top 97% | — | — |
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
96.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% 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
30:1
students per teacher
— 83% above state mean
Top 99% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
39.0%
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
$16,872
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 318 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 77 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 1,591 Top 97% in North Carolina — larger than 3% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 53.0
Students per teacher 30:1 +83% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 96.5% +46% vs state
NCES ID 370008902472
Student demographics
African American 69.8%
Hispanic or Latino 26.7%
Two or More 2.5%
Asian 0.8%
White 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 69.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 4
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 318:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 39.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 77
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sugar Creek Charter, which includes Sugar Creek Charter.
$16,872
Per student
+29%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 23.4%
State 52.1%
Federal 24.5%
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.
Similar other schools in Charlotte
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Bradford Preparatory School
Standard public school
1,566 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Corvian Community School
Standard public school
1,376 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Northwest School of the Arts
Standard public school
993 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Jackson Day School
Standard public school
882 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Cochrane Collegiate Academy
Standard public school
854 students 20:1 students per teacher
Idlewild Elementary
Standard public school
850 students 16.5:1 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 Sugar Creek Charter
How many students attend Sugar Creek Charter?
Sugar Creek Charter has 1,591 students enrolled. It is a other school in Charlotte, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sugar Creek Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Sugar Creek Charter is 30:1, which is 83% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 89% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sugar Creek Charter?
96.5% of students at Sugar Creek Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sugar Creek Charter?
The largest demographic group at Sugar Creek Charter is African American at 69.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Charlotte, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sugar Creek Charter?
Sugar Creek Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 17/100 (F) based on 4 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.