Enrollment
650
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 370036403326 Charter school
Wake Forest Charter Academy — Wake Forest, NC
Federal NCES profile for Wake Forest Charter Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 31
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 38
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: Wake Forest Charter Academy · 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)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.2:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wake Forest Charter Academy 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
Wake Forest Charter Academy reports 650 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 37.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.2:1 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 8% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 36.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 45% below the North Carolina average and 30% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Wake Forest Charter Academy spends $9,861 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Wake Forest Charter Academy 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 | 17.2:1 | ▲ 5% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.3% | ▼ 45% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 650 | top 70% | — | — |
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
36.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 45% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.2:1
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
24.9%
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
$9,861
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
40
in-school suspensions + 30 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 650 Top 70% in North Carolina — larger than 30% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 37.0
Students per teacher 17.2:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 36.3% -45% vs state
NCES ID 370036403326
Student demographics
White 35.2%
African American 31.8%
Hispanic or Latino 15.1%
Two or More 9.1%
Asian 8.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 35.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.9%
In-school suspensions 40
Out-of-school suspensions 30
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wake Forest Charter Academy, which includes Wake Forest Charter Academy.
$9,861
Per student
-24%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-49%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Similar elementary schools in Wake Forest
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Wake Forest Charter Academy
How many students attend Wake Forest Charter Academy?
Wake Forest Charter Academy has 650 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Wake Forest, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wake Forest Charter Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Wake Forest Charter Academy is 17.2:1, which is 5% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wake Forest Charter Academy?
36.3% of students at Wake Forest Charter Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wake Forest Charter Academy?
The largest demographic group at Wake Forest Charter Academy is White at 35.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Wake Forest, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wake Forest Charter Academy?
Wake Forest Charter Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.