Enrollment
674
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370162002156
W a Bess Elementary School — Gastonia, NC
Federal NCES profile for W a Bess Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 56
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: Gaston 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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.6%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How W a Bess Elementary School 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
W a Bess Elementary School reports 674 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% above the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 9% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 41.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 37% below the North Carolina average and 20% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 674 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Gaston County Schools spends $11,856 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.3% from local sources (property taxes), 64.3% from the state, and 19.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 W a Bess Elementary School 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 | 17.3:1 | ▲ 5% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.6% | ▼ 37% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 674 | top 73% | — | — |
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
41.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 37% 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
17.3:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 77% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
17.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$11,856
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 674 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 674 Top 73% in North Carolina — larger than 27% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 17.3:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 41.6% -37% vs state
NCES ID 370162002156
Student demographics
White 51.2%
African American 18.0%
Hispanic or Latino 16.2%
Asian 8.3%
Two or More 5.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 51.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 674:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.7%
In-school suspensions 24
Out-of-school suspensions 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gaston County Schools, which includes W a Bess Elementary School.
$11,856
Per student
-9%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.3%
State 64.3%
Federal 19.4%
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
- 1,386
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,165
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,133
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Enrollment
- 1,061
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 989
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
Similar other schools in Gastonia
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Piedmont Community Charter School
Standard public school
1,963 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Pleasant Ridge Elementary
Standard public school
887 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
H H Beam Elementary
Standard public school
591 students 18.9:1 students per teacher
Woodhill Elementary
Standard public school
577 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Gardner Park Elementary
Standard public school
560 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Sherwood Elementary
Standard public school
553 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
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 W a Bess Elementary School
How many students attend W a Bess Elementary School?
W a Bess Elementary School has 674 students enrolled. It is a other school in Gastonia, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at W a Bess Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at W a Bess Elementary School is 17.3:1, which is 5% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 9% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at W a Bess Elementary School?
41.6% of students at W a Bess Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of W a Bess Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at W a Bess Elementary School is White at 51.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Gastonia, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for W a Bess Elementary School?
W a Bess Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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.