Enrollment
530
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370048000193
Valdese Elementary — Valdese, NC
Federal NCES profile for Valdese Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 35
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Burke County Schools · North Carolina
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.0%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Valdese Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Valdese Elementary reports 530 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% below the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 62.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 6% below the North Carolina average and 20% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 530 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Burke County Schools spends $12,502 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 15.2% from local sources (property taxes), 61.7% from the state, and 23.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Valdese Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against North Carolina state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.3:1 | ▼ 1% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.0% | ▼ 6% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 530 | top 55% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
62.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 6% below 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
16.3:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 67% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,502
per pupil, district-wide
— below North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 530 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 530 Top 55% in North Carolina — larger than 45% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 16.3:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 62.0% -6% vs state
NCES ID 370048000193
Student demographics
White 79.6%
Hispanic or Latino 8.3%
Asian 4.7%
Two or More 4.5%
African American 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 79.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 530:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.2%
In-school suspensions 25
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Burke County Schools, which includes Valdese Elementary.
$12,502
Per student
-4%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 15.2%
State 61.7%
Federal 23.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,299
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 874
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 762
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 756
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 661
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Valdese Elementary
How many students attend Valdese Elementary?
Valdese Elementary has 530 students enrolled. It is a other school in Valdese, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valdese Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Valdese Elementary is 16.3:1, which is 1% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Valdese Elementary?
62.0% of students at Valdese Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Valdese Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Valdese Elementary is White at 79.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Valdese, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Valdese Elementary?
Valdese Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.