Enrollment
217
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370408001654
Sunshine Elementary School — Bostic, NC
Federal NCES profile for Sunshine Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 9
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: Rutherford 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)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
97.9%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sunshine Elementary School 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
Sunshine Elementary School reports 217 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 16.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 27% below the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 25% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 97.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% above the North Carolina average and 89% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 434 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Rutherford County Schools spends $16,397 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.0% from local sources (property taxes), 53.8% from the state, and 24.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Sunshine Elementary School 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 | 11.9:1 | ▼ 27% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 97.9% | ▲ 48% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 217 | top 13% | — | — |
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
97.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% 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
11.9:1
students per teacher
— 27% below state mean
Top 11% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
36.4%
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
$16,397
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 434 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 217 Top 13% in North Carolina — larger than 87% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 16.0
Students per teacher 11.9:1 -27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 97.9% +48% vs state
NCES ID 370408001654
Student demographics
White 90.8%
Hispanic or Latino 4.6%
Two or More 4.6%
Largest group: White at 90.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 434:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rutherford County Schools, which includes Sunshine Elementary School.
$16,397
Per student
+26%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.0%
State 53.8%
Federal 24.2%
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
- 763
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 623
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 567
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 561
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
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 Sunshine Elementary School
How many students attend Sunshine Elementary School?
Sunshine Elementary School has 217 students enrolled. It is a other school in Bostic, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sunshine Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sunshine Elementary School is 11.9:1, which is 27% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sunshine Elementary School?
97.9% of students at Sunshine Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sunshine Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Sunshine Elementary School is White at 90.8%. The school serves a student body in Bostic, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sunshine Elementary School?
Sunshine Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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.