Enrollment
1,945
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Hampstead, NC
Topsail High
Federal NCES profile for Topsail High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370357001469
👥 S:T ratio 5
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Topsail High earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the largest schools in North Carolina.
- #2 of 7
- public schools in Hampstead · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.7:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 20.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Topsail High has class sizes larger than 95% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Topsail High ranks #2 of 7 public schools in Hampstead, NC.
School address
District: Pender County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370357001469 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
82.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.7:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Topsail High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Topsail High
Topsail High is a large high school in Hampstead, North Carolina, enrolling 1,945 students.
Class loads run heavy: 23.7:1 is larger than about 95% of North Carolina schools and 50% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 20.3% free-meal eligibility runs 69% below the North Carolina average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Carolina, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,945 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 67 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #53, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 31/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 15 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 389 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 21.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Pender County Schools also operates Surf City Elementary (857 students) and Topsail Middle (837 students) alongside Topsail High.
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 Topsail High compares
Topsail High 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 | 23.7:1 | ▲ 50% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.3% | ▼ 69% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,945 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.7:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,945
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
20.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 69% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
23.7:1
students per teacher
- 50% above state mean
Top 95% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
24.2%
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
$11,305
per pupil, district-wide
- below North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 389 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
101
in-school suspensions + 67 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.6 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 82.4%
Hispanic or Latino 7.6%
Two or More 5.7%
African American 3.1%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 82.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.1, Topsail High is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pender County Schools, which includes Topsail High.
$11,305
Per student
-6%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.0%
State 56.8%
Federal 21.2%
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 Topsail High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surf City Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Topsail Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Surf City Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Heide Trask High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pender High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Topsail High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 857
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 837
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 752
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 732
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 648
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar high 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 (~1,945 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Topsail High's federal record.
- Compare Topsail High against another school. Compare schools
- Pender 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 Topsail High
How many students attend Topsail High?
Topsail High has 1,945 students enrolled. It is a high school in Hampstead, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Topsail High?
The student-teacher ratio at Topsail High is 23.7:1, which is 50% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 51% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Topsail High?
20.3% of students at Topsail High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Topsail High?
The largest demographic group at Topsail High is White at 82.4% of enrollment, in Hampstead, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Topsail High?
Topsail High has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Topsail High rank among public schools in Hampstead?
By Resource Investment Index, Topsail High ranks #2 of 7 public schools in Hampstead, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Hampstead on the city page.
Is Topsail High a good school?
Topsail High earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the largest 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 Pender County Schools?
Besides Topsail High, Pender County Schools also operates Surf City Elementary (857 students), Topsail Middle (837 students), and Surf City Middle (752 students). See the Pender 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.