Enrollment
654
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Shallotte, NC
Union Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Union Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370042000130
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 77
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Union Elementary earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of North Carolina schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Shallotte · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.7:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 99.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Union Elementary has class sizes larger than 78% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Union Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Shallotte, NC.
School address
District: Brunswick County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370042000130 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.7:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Union Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Union Elementary
Union Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Shallotte, North Carolina, enrolling 654 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.7:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 99.5% of students qualify for free meals, 51% above the North Carolina average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 654 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 493 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #60.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and Hispanic or Latino (15%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 654 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 19.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Brunswick County Schools also operates North Brunswick High (1,620 students) and West Brunswick High (1,466 students) alongside Union Elementary.
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 Union Elementary compares
Union Elementary 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 | 17.7:1 | ▲ 12% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.5% | ▲ 51% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 654 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.7:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
654
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% above the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.7:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 78% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
9.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,819
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 654 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
23
in-school suspensions + 44 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.2 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 65.4%
Hispanic or Latino 15.4%
African American 11.2%
Two or More 7.0%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 65.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.1, Union Elementary is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Brunswick County Schools, which includes Union Elementary.
$12,819
Per student
+7%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.5%
State 46.4%
Federal 19.1%
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.
How Union Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Brunswick High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Brunswick High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| South Brunswick High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Belville Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Leland Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Union Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,620
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,466
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,154
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 812
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 806
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
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 (~654 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Union Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Union Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Brunswick 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 Union Elementary
How many students attend Union Elementary?
Union Elementary has 654 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Shallotte, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Union Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Union Elementary is 17.7:1, which is 12% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Union Elementary?
99.5% of students at Union Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Union Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Union Elementary is White at 65.4% of enrollment, in Shallotte, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Union Elementary?
Union Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical 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 Union Elementary rank among public schools in Shallotte?
By Resource Investment Index, Union Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Shallotte, 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 Shallotte on the city page.
Is Union Elementary a good school?
Union Elementary earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% 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 Brunswick County Schools?
Besides Union Elementary, Brunswick County Schools also operates North Brunswick High (1,620 students), West Brunswick High (1,466 students), and South Brunswick High (1,154 students). See the Brunswick 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.