Enrollment
536
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370444001763
Swain County High School — Bryson City, NC
Federal NCES profile for Swain County High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 42
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 0
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: Swain 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)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Swain County High 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
Swain County High School reports 536 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 39.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% 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 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 45.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 31% below the North Carolina average and 12% below the national baseline. The school offers 6 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 268 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 49.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Swain County Schools spends $15,228 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 7.7% from local sources (property taxes), 63.1% from the state, and 29.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Swain County High 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 | 14.4:1 | ▼ 12% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.4% | ▼ 31% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 536 | top 56% | — | — |
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
45.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 31% 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
14.4:1
students per teacher
— 12% below state mean
Top 40% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
49.6%
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
$15,228
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 268 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
71
in-school suspensions + 55 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 536 Top 56% in North Carolina — larger than 44% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 39.0
Students per teacher 14.4:1 -12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 45.4% -31% vs state
NCES ID 370444001763
Student demographics
White 67.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 18.1%
Two or More 7.1%
Hispanic or Latino 6.5%
Asian 0.6%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 67.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 268:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 49.6%
In-school suspensions 71
Out-of-school suspensions 55
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Swain County Schools, which includes Swain County High School.
$15,228
Per student
+17%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 453
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 403
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 338
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 110
- Students per teacher
- —
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 Swain County High School
How many students attend Swain County High School?
Swain County High School has 536 students enrolled. It is a high school in Bryson City, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Swain County High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Swain County High School is 14.4:1, which is 12% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 9% 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 Swain County High School?
45.4% of students at Swain County High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Swain County High School?
The largest demographic group at Swain County High School is White at 67.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bryson City, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Swain County High School?
Swain County High School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.