Enrollment
449
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Tar Heel, NC
Tar Heel Middle
Federal NCES profile for Tar Heel Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370039002619
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Tar Heel Middle earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of North Carolina schools.
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 29.9:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 99.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 449
- students enrolled
Tar Heel Middle has class sizes larger than 98% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Bladen County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370039002619 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
29.9:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+89% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.0%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tar Heel Middle compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Tar Heel Middle
Tar Heel Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Tar Heel, North Carolina, enrolling 449 students.
Class loads run heavy: 29.9:1 is larger than about 98% of North Carolina schools and 89% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 99.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 449 students, its enrollment sits close to the North Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 541 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #258.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (37%) and African American (30%) (diversity index 71/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 449 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
13.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 26.1% 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 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Bladen County Schools also operates West Bladen High (720 students) and East Bladen High (525 students) alongside Tar Heel Middle.
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 Tar Heel Middle compares
Tar Heel Middle 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 | 29.9:1 | ▲ 89% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.0% | ▲ 50% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 449 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
29.9:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
449
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 50% 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
29.9:1
students per teacher
- 89% above state mean
Top 98% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
13.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$13,797
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 449 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 70 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 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
Hispanic or Latino 36.7%
African American 29.6%
White 25.6%
Two or More 5.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 36.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.9, Tar Heel Middle is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bladen County Schools, which includes Tar Heel Middle.
$13,797
Per student
+15%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 14.4%
State 59.5%
Federal 26.1%
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 Tar Heel Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Bladen High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| East Bladen High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Elizabethtown Primary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bladenboro Primary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Elizabethtown Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Tar Heel Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 720
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 525
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 483
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 448
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 305
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~449 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Tar Heel Middle's federal record.
- Compare Tar Heel Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Bladen 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 Tar Heel Middle
How many students attend Tar Heel Middle?
Tar Heel Middle has 449 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Tar Heel, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tar Heel Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Tar Heel Middle is 29.9:1, which is 89% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 90% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tar Heel Middle?
99.0% of students at Tar Heel Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tar Heel Middle?
The largest demographic group at Tar Heel Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 36.7% of enrollment, in Tar Heel, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tar Heel Middle?
Tar Heel Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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).
Is Tar Heel Middle a good school?
Tar Heel Middle earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% 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 Bladen County Schools?
Besides Tar Heel Middle, Bladen County Schools also operates West Bladen High (720 students), East Bladen High (525 students), and Elizabethtown Primary (483 students). See the Bladen 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.