Enrollment
679
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Dobson, NC
Surry Central High
Federal NCES profile for Surry Central High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370441001757
👥 S:T ratio 32
📚 AP courses 20
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 8
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Surry Central High earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of North Carolina schools.
- #5 of 7
- public schools in Dobson · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 58.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Surry Central High has class sizes larger than 73% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Surry Central High ranks #5 of 7 public schools in Dobson, NC.
School address
District: Surry County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370441001757 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.7%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Surry Central High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Surry Central High
Surry Central High is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Dobson, North Carolina, enrolling 679 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 58.7% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 679 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 467 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #275.
Its student body is led by White (57%) and Hispanic or Latino (40%) (diversity index 52/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 4 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 340 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Dobson's high schools, it stands alongside Surry Early College (296 students): Surry Central High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17:1 vs 37:1).
Surry County Schools also operates North Surry High (792 students) and East Surry High (576 students) alongside Surry Central 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 Surry Central High compares
Surry Central 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 | 17:1 | ▲ 8% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.7% | ▼ 11% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 679 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
679
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
58.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% below 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
17:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 73% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
36.8%
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
$12,638
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 340 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
34
in-school suspensions + 48 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 56.7%
Hispanic or Latino 39.9%
Two or More 1.8%
Asian 1.0%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 56.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.9, Surry Central High is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 4
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Surry County Schools, which includes Surry Central High.
$12,638
Per student
+5%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.6%
State 60.1%
Federal 24.3%
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 Surry Central High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Surry High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Surry High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Central Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Franklin Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pilot Mountain Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Surry Central High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 792
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 576
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 473
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 401
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar high schools in Dobson
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 (~679 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Surry Central High's federal record.
- Compare Surry Central High against another school. Compare schools
- Surry County 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 Surry Central High
How many students attend Surry Central High?
Surry Central High has 679 students enrolled. It is a high school in Dobson, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Surry Central High?
The student-teacher ratio at Surry Central High is 17:1, which is 8% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Surry Central High?
58.7% of students at Surry Central High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Surry Central High?
The largest demographic group at Surry Central High is White at 56.7% of enrollment, in Dobson, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Surry Central High?
Surry Central High has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical 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 Surry Central High rank among public schools in Dobson?
By Resource Investment Index, Surry Central High ranks #5 of 7 public schools in Dobson, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Dobson on the city page.
Is Surry Central High a good school?
Surry Central High earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of North Carolina schools. 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 Surry County Schools?
Besides Surry Central High, Surry County Schools also operates North Surry High (792 students), East Surry High (576 students), and Central Middle (502 students). See the Surry County 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.