Enrollment
466
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Clinton, NC
Union Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Union Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 22/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370414001682
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 7
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Union Elementary earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 85% of North Carolina schools.
- #9 of 9
- public schools in Clinton · Resource Index
- 22
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.3:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 99.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Union Elementary has class sizes smaller than 85% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Union Elementary ranks #9 of 9 public schools in Clinton, NC.
School address
District: Sampson County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370414001682 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.4%
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 combined-grade school in Clinton, North Carolina, enrolling 466 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.3:1, Union Elementary is leaner than roughly 85% of North Carolina schools and 22% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 99.4% of students qualify for free meals, 51% above the North Carolina average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 466 students, its enrollment sits close to the North Carolina median campus size.
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 545 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #534, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (58%) and African American (20%) (diversity index 59/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 466 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 25.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Clinton's public schools, it stands alongside Langdon C Kerr Elementary (366 students): Union Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.3:1 vs 13.6:1).
Sampson County Schools also operates Midway High (726 students) and Midway Middle (584 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 | 12.3:1 | ▼ 22% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.4% | ▲ 51% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 466 | top 54% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
466
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.4%
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
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 15% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
42.5%
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
$12,503
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 466 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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
Hispanic or Latino 58.2%
African American 19.7%
White 19.3%
Two or More 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 58.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.5, Union Elementary is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sampson County Schools, which includes Union Elementary.
$12,503
Per student
+4%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 14.3%
State 59.9%
Federal 25.7%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midway High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Midway Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Midway Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Salemburg Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Union High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher 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
- 726
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 584
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 539
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 494
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar other schools in Clinton
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~466 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Union Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Union Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Sampson 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 466 students enrolled. It is a public school in Clinton, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Union Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Union Elementary is 12.3:1, which is 22% 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 Union Elementary?
99.4% 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 Hispanic or Latino at 58.2% of enrollment, in Clinton, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Union Elementary?
Union Elementary 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 Union Elementary rank among public schools in Clinton?
By Resource Investment Index, Union Elementary ranks #9 of 9 public schools in Clinton, 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 Clinton on the city page.
Is Union Elementary a good school?
Union Elementary earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 85% 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 Sampson County Schools?
Besides Union Elementary, Sampson County Schools also operates Midway High (726 students), Midway Middle (584 students), and Midway Elementary (539 students). See the Sampson 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.