Enrollment
837
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Hampstead, NC
Topsail Middle
Federal NCES profile for Topsail Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 22/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370357001470
👥 S:T ratio 18
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Topsail Middle earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of North Carolina schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Carolina schools.
- #6 of 7
- public schools in Hampstead · Resource Index
- 22
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20.4:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 17.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Topsail Middle has class sizes larger than 91% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Topsail Middle ranks #6 of 7 public schools in Hampstead, NC.
School address
District: Pender County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370357001470 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.4:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-73% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Topsail Middle compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Topsail Middle
Topsail Middle is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Hampstead, North Carolina, enrolling 837 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20.4:1 is larger than about 91% of North Carolina schools and 29% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 17.5% free-meal eligibility runs 73% below the North Carolina average.
Enrollment of 837 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 98% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 207 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #205, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 29/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 837 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data 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 Topsail High (1,945 students) and Surf City Elementary (857 students) alongside Topsail 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 Topsail Middle compares
Topsail 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 | 20.4:1 | ▲ 29% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.5% | ▼ 73% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 837 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.4:1
Leaner classes than 15% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
837
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
17.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 73% 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
20.4:1
students per teacher
- 29% above state mean
Top 91% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
41.5%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 837 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
92
in-school suspensions + 46 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.5 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 83.5%
Hispanic or Latino 8.0%
Two or More 4.5%
African American 2.5%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 83.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.4, Topsail Middle is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pender County Schools, which includes Topsail Middle.
$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 Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topsail High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Surf City Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Surf City Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Heide Trask High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pender High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Topsail Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,945
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 857
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- 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 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 (~837 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Topsail Middle's federal record.
- Compare Topsail Middle 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 Middle
How many students attend Topsail Middle?
Topsail Middle has 837 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Hampstead, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Topsail Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Topsail Middle is 20.4:1, which is 29% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 30% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Topsail Middle?
17.5% of students at Topsail Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Topsail Middle?
The largest demographic group at Topsail Middle is White at 83.5% of enrollment, in Hampstead, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Topsail Middle?
Topsail Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (lower 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).
How does Topsail Middle rank among public schools in Hampstead?
By Resource Investment Index, Topsail Middle ranks #6 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 Middle a good school?
Topsail Middle earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of North Carolina schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Pender County Schools?
Besides Topsail Middle, Pender County Schools also operates Topsail High (1,945 students), Surf City Elementary (857 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.