Enrollment
1,272
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Monroe, NC
Sun Valley High
Federal NCES profile for Sun Valley High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370462001803
👥 S:T ratio 34
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sun Valley High earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #3 of 6
- high schools in Monroe · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.5:1
- students per teacher
- 35.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Sun Valley High has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sun Valley High ranks #3 of 6 high schools in Monroe, NC.
School address
District: Union County Public Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370462001803 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
77.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sun Valley High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sun Valley High
Sun Valley High is a large high school in Monroe, North Carolina, enrolling 1,272 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.5:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.8% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Carolina, bigger than 94% of state schools at 1,272 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 198 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #43.
Its student body is led by White (46%) and African American (24%) (diversity index 68/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 18 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 254 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.3% 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 42 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Monroe's high schools, it stands alongside Piedmont High (1,270 students): Sun Valley High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.5:1 vs 19.5:1).
Union County Public Schools also operates Marvin Ridge High (1,961 students) and Weddington High (1,899 students) alongside Sun Valley High.
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 Sun Valley High compares
Sun Valley High 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 | 16.5:1 | ▲ 4% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.8% | ▼ 46% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,272 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,272
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 46% 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
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 68% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.5%
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
$11,010
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 254 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
59
in-school suspensions + 164 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 42 expulsions.
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 46.3%
African American 23.6%
Hispanic or Latino 22.7%
Two or More 5.3%
Asian 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 46.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.5, Sun Valley High is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 18
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Union County Public Schools, which includes Sun Valley High.
$11,010
Per student
-8%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.9%
State 55.8%
Federal 15.3%
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.
How Sun Valley High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marvin Ridge High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Weddington High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cuthbertson High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Porter Ridge High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Porter Ridge Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sun Valley High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,961
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,899
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,857
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,809
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,447
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar high schools in Monroe
5 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Piedmont High
Standard public school
1,270 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Monroe High
Standard public school
1,215 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Parkwood High
Standard public school
1,082 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Central Academy of Technology and Arts
Standard public school
875 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Union County Early College
Standard public school
340 students 24.3:1 students per teacher
Similar high 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 (~1,272 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sun Valley High's federal record.
- Compare Sun Valley High against another school. Compare schools
- Union County Public 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 Sun Valley High
How many students attend Sun Valley High?
Sun Valley High has 1,272 students enrolled. It is a high school in Monroe, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sun Valley High?
The student-teacher ratio at Sun Valley High is 16.5:1, which is 4% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sun Valley High?
35.8% of students at Sun Valley High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sun Valley High?
The largest demographic group at Sun Valley High is White at 46.3% of enrollment, in Monroe, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sun Valley High?
Sun Valley High has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 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 Sun Valley High rank among high schools in Monroe?
By Resource Investment Index, Sun Valley High ranks #3 of 6 high schools in Monroe, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Monroe on the city page.
Is Sun Valley High a good school?
Sun Valley High earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. 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 Union County Public Schools?
Besides Sun Valley High, Union County Public Schools also operates Marvin Ridge High (1,961 students), Weddington High (1,899 students), and Cuthbertson High (1,857 students). See the Union County Public 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.