Enrollment
1,591
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Charlotte, NC
Sugar Creek Charter
Federal NCES profile for Sugar Creek Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 17/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370008902472Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 3
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sugar Creek Charter earns 17/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the largest schools in North Carolina.
- #70 of 70
- schools in Charlotte · Resource Index
- 17
- Resource Index · Lower
- 30:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 96.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Sugar Creek Charter has class sizes larger than 98% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sugar Creek Charter ranks #70 of 70 schools in Charlotte, NC.
School address
District: Sugar Creek Charter · North Carolina
NCES ID 370008902472 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
30:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+90% 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
What stands out at Sugar Creek Charter
Sugar Creek Charter is a high-poverty, large charter combined-grade school in Charlotte, North Carolina, enrolling 1,591 students.
Class loads run heavy: 30:1 is larger than about 98% of North Carolina schools and 90% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 96.5% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Carolina, bigger than 97% of state schools at 1,591 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 41 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #41, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 318 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Charlotte's public schools, it stands alongside Bradford Preparatory School (1,566 students): Sugar Creek Charter is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (30:1 vs 14.6:1).
Sugar Creek Charter is a single-school charter district, so Sugar Creek Charter operates independently rather than alongside district-mates. At 1,591 students, it is also among the largest single-school districts in North Carolina, well beyond the enrollment of a typical standalone charter.
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 Sugar Creek Charter compares
Sugar Creek Charter 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 | 30:1 | ▲ 90% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.5% | ▲ 46% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,591 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
30:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,591
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
- 90% above state mean
Top 98% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
39.0%
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
$11,551
per pupil, district-wide
- below North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that 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
- 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
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.
Student-body diversity index 44.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.1, Sugar Creek Charter is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sugar Creek Charter, which includes Sugar Creek Charter.
$11,551
Per student
-4%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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 14.6:1 students per teacher
Corvian Community School
Standard public school
1,376 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Northwest School of the Arts
Standard public school
993 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Jackson Day School
Standard public school
882 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Cochrane Collegiate Academy
Standard public school
854 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Idlewild Elementary
Standard public school
850 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
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 (~1,591 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~30:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sugar Creek Charter's federal record.
- Compare Sugar Creek Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Sugar Creek Charter'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 Sugar Creek Charter
How many students attend Sugar Creek Charter?
Sugar Creek Charter has 1,591 students enrolled. It is a public 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 90% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 91% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Charlotte, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sugar Creek Charter?
Sugar Creek Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 17/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sugar Creek Charter rank among schools in Charlotte?
By Resource Investment Index, Sugar Creek Charter ranks #70 of 70 schools in Charlotte, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Charlotte on the city page.
Is Sugar Creek Charter a good school?
Sugar Creek Charter earns 17/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the largest schools in North Carolina. 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 Sugar Creek Charter?
None; Sugar Creek Charter is a single-school charter district, and Sugar Creek Charter is its only campus.
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.