Enrollment
74
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370327001218
Tar River Academy — Rocky Mount, NC
Federal NCES profile for Tar River Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 64
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 85
📋 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: Nash County Public 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)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.9:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-46% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tar River Academy 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
Tar River Academy reports 74 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 10.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 46% 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 44% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 93.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% above the North Carolina average and 80% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 74 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Nash County Public Schools spends $12,433 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 14.1% from local sources (property taxes), 60.8% from the state, and 25.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), 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 Tar River Academy 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 | 8.9:1 | ▼ 46% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.3% | ▲ 41% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 74 | top 3% | — | — |
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
93.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% 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
8.9:1
students per teacher
— 46% below state mean
Top 3% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
100.0%
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
$12,433
per pupil, district-wide
— below North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 74 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 45 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 60.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 74 Top 3% in North Carolina — larger than 97% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 10.0
Students per teacher 8.9:1 -46% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 93.3% +41% vs state
NCES ID 370327001218
Student demographics
African American 58.1%
Hispanic or Latino 20.3%
White 13.5%
Two or More 8.1%
Largest group: African American at 58.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 74:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 45
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Nash County Public Schools, which includes Tar River Academy.
$12,433
Per student
-5%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 14.1%
State 60.8%
Federal 25.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,048
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,035
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,023
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Enrollment
- 840
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Enrollment
- 795
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
Similar high schools in Rocky Mount
5 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Northern Nash High
Standard public school
1,035 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Rocky Mount High
Standard public school
1,023 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Nash Central High
Standard public school
703 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
Nrm Early College High School
Standard public school
376 students 25.9:1 students per teacher
Citi High School
Standard public school
87 students 19.2:1 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 Tar River Academy
How many students attend Tar River Academy?
Tar River Academy has 74 students enrolled. It is a high school in Rocky Mount, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tar River Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Tar River Academy is 8.9:1, which is 46% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 44% 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 Tar River Academy?
93.3% of students at Tar River Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tar River Academy?
The largest demographic group at Tar River Academy is African American at 58.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Rocky Mount, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tar River Academy?
Tar River Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) based on 5 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.