Enrollment
338
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Bryson City, NC
Swain County East Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Swain County East Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370444002315
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Swain County East Elementary earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of North Carolina schools.
- #1 of 3
- elementary schools in Bryson City · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 64.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Swain County East Elementary has class sizes smaller than 78% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Swain County East Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Bryson City, NC.
School address
District: Swain County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370444002315 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Swain County East Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Swain County East Elementary
Swain County East Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Bryson City, North Carolina, enrolling 338 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13:1 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 64.3% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 338 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 295 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #205.
Its student body is led by White (47%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (26%) (diversity index 67/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 338 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 47.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 29.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Bryson City's elementary schools, it stands alongside Swain County West Elementary (403 students): Swain County East Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13:1 vs 13:1).
Swain County Schools also operates Swain County High School (536 students) and Swain County Middle School (453 students) alongside Swain County East Elementary.
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 Swain County East Elementary compares
Swain County East Elementary 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 | 13:1 | ▼ 18% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.3% | ▼ 3% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 338 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
338
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
64.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% 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
13:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 22% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
47.3%
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
$14,269
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 338 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.9 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 47.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 26.0%
Two or More 17.2%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: White at 47.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.2, Swain County East Elementary is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Swain County Schools, which includes Swain County East Elementary.
$14,269
Per student
+19%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 7.7%
State 63.1%
Federal 29.2%
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.
How Swain County East Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swain County High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Swain County Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Swain County West Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cherokee Extension School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Swain County East Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 536
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 453
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 403
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 110
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 21/100
Similar elementary schools in Bryson City
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~338 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Swain County East Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Swain County East Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Swain 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 Swain County East Elementary
How many students attend Swain County East Elementary?
Swain County East Elementary has 338 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Bryson City, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Swain County East Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Swain County East Elementary is 13:1, which is 18% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Swain County East Elementary?
64.3% of students at Swain County East Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Swain County East Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Swain County East Elementary is White at 47.3% of enrollment, in Bryson City, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Swain County East Elementary?
Swain County East Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Swain County East Elementary rank among elementary schools in Bryson City?
By Resource Investment Index, Swain County East Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Bryson City, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Bryson City on the city page.
Is Swain County East Elementary a good school?
Swain County East Elementary earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% 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 Swain County Schools?
Besides Swain County East Elementary, Swain County Schools also operates Swain County High School (536 students), Swain County Middle School (453 students), and Swain County West Elementary (403 students). See the Swain 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.