Enrollment
367
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Tryon, NC
Tryon Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Tryon Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370372002230
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Tryon Elementary School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of North Carolina schools.
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.2:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 99.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 367
- students enrolled
Tryon Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 86% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Polk County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370372002230 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tryon Elementary School compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Tryon Elementary School
Tryon Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Tryon, North Carolina, enrolling 367 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.2:1, Tryon Elementary School is leaner than roughly 86% of North Carolina schools and 23% 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 99.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 367 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 464 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #19, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 367 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
13.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Polk County Schools spends $15,096 per pupil, 26% above the North Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Polk County Schools also operates Polk County High School (596 students) and Polk County Middle School (454 students) alongside Tryon Elementary School.
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 Tryon Elementary School compares
Tryon Elementary School 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 | 12.2:1 | ▼ 23% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.3% | ▲ 50% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 367 | top 69% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
367
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.3%
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
12.2:1
students per teacher
- 23% below state mean
Top 14% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
13.9%
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
$15,096
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 367 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 64.9%
Hispanic or Latino 17.4%
African American 9.8%
Two or More 6.8%
Asian 1.1%
Largest group: White at 64.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.4, Tryon Elementary School is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk County Schools, which includes Tryon Elementary School.
$15,096
Per student
+26%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.0%
State 50.5%
Federal 19.5%
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 Tryon Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Polk County Middle School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Polk Central Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Saluda Elementary School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sunny View Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Tryon Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 454
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 379
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 142
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 120
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
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 (~367 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Tryon Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Tryon Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Polk 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 Tryon Elementary School
How many students attend Tryon Elementary School?
Tryon Elementary School has 367 students enrolled. It is a public school in Tryon, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tryon Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Tryon Elementary School is 12.2:1, which is 23% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 22% 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 Tryon Elementary School?
99.3% of students at Tryon Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tryon Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Tryon Elementary School is White at 64.9% of enrollment, in Tryon, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tryon Elementary School?
Tryon Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher 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 Tryon Elementary School a good school?
Tryon Elementary School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% 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 Polk County Schools?
Besides Tryon Elementary School, Polk County Schools also operates Polk County High School (596 students), Polk County Middle School (454 students), and Polk Central Elementary School (379 students). See the Polk 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.