Enrollment
43
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Marble, NC
The Oaks Academy
Federal NCES profile for The Oaks Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 76/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370078002082
👥 S:T ratio 66
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 91
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
The Oaks Academy earns 76/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in North Carolina.
- 76
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8.6:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 94.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 43
- students enrolled
The Oaks Academy has class sizes smaller than 96% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Cherokee County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370078002082 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.6:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-46% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
94.0%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How The Oaks Academy compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at The Oaks Academy
The Oaks Academy is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Marble, North Carolina, enrolling 43 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.6:1, The Oaks Academy is leaner than roughly 96% of North Carolina schools and 46% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 94.0% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 98% of North Carolina schools, with 43 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 99% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 26 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #8.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 17/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 43 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
The surrounding Cherokee County Schools spends $15,950 per pupil, 33% above the North Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 27.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 39 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 43 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Cherokee County Schools also operates Murphy Elementary (467 students) and Murphy High (424 students) alongside The Oaks Academy.
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 The Oaks Academy compares
The Oaks Academy 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 | 8.6:1 | ▼ 46% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 94.0% | ▲ 42% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 43 | top 98% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.6:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
43
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
94.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
8.6:1
students per teacher
- 46% below state mean
Top 4% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$15,950
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 43 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 39.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 90.7 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 90.7%
Hispanic or Latino 4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.3%
Two or More 2.3%
Largest group: White at 90.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.4, The Oaks Academy is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cherokee County Schools, which includes The Oaks Academy.
$15,950
Per student
+33%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.4%
State 52.4%
Federal 27.2%
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 The Oaks Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murphy Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Murphy High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Murphy Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Andrews Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ranger Elementary/Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to The Oaks Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 467
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 424
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 353
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 330
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 264
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar other 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 (~43 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on The Oaks Academy's federal record.
- Compare The Oaks Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Cherokee 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 The Oaks Academy
How many students attend The Oaks Academy?
The Oaks Academy has 43 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Marble, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at The Oaks Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at The Oaks Academy is 8.6:1, which is 46% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 45% 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 The Oaks Academy?
94.0% of students at The Oaks Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of The Oaks Academy?
The largest demographic group at The Oaks Academy is White at 90.7% of enrollment, in Marble, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Oaks Academy?
The Oaks Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 76/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is The Oaks Academy a good school?
The Oaks Academy earns 76/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in North Carolina. 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 Cherokee County Schools?
Besides The Oaks Academy, Cherokee County Schools also operates Murphy Elementary (467 students), Murphy High (424 students), and Murphy Middle (353 students). See the Cherokee 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.