Enrollment
679
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Zebulon, NC
Wakelon Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Wakelon Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370472002806
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wakelon Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #3 of 4
- schools in Zebulon · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.8:1
- students per teacher
- 64.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Wakelon Elementary has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wakelon Elementary ranks #3 of 4 schools in Zebulon, NC.
School address
District: Wake County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370472002806 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.0%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wakelon Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wakelon Elementary
Wakelon Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Zebulon, North Carolina, enrolling 679 students.
At 15.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the North Carolina median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 64.0% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 679 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 418 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #134.
Its student body is led by African American (48%) and Hispanic or Latino (33%) (diversity index 64/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 340 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Zebulon's public schools, it stands alongside East Wake Academy (1,265 students): Wakelon Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.8:1 vs 15.8:1).
Wake County Schools also operates Apex Friendship High (2,748 students) and Enloe High (2,643 students) alongside Wakelon 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 Wakelon Elementary compares
Wakelon 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 | 15.8:1 | ▼ 0% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.0% | ▼ 3% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 679 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.8:1
Leaner classes than 40% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
679
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
64.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% 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
15.8:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 60% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
29.9%
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
$11,859
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 340 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 43 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.1 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
African American 47.9%
Hispanic or Latino 33.4%
White 12.8%
Two or More 5.0%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 47.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.0, Wakelon Elementary is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wake County Schools, which includes Wakelon Elementary.
$11,859
Per student
-1%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.9%
State 54.5%
Federal 16.6%
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 Wakelon Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apex Friendship High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Enloe High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Panther Creek High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Millbrook High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Apex High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wakelon Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,748
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,643
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 2,609
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,498
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 2,449
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar other schools in Zebulon
3 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 (~679 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wakelon Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Wakelon Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Wake 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 Wakelon Elementary
How many students attend Wakelon Elementary?
Wakelon Elementary has 679 students enrolled. It is a public school in Zebulon, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wakelon Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Wakelon Elementary is 15.8:1, which is 0% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wakelon Elementary?
64.0% of students at Wakelon Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wakelon Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Wakelon Elementary is African American at 47.9% of enrollment, in Zebulon, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wakelon Elementary?
Wakelon Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Wakelon Elementary rank among schools in Zebulon?
By Resource Investment Index, Wakelon Elementary ranks #3 of 4 schools in Zebulon, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Zebulon on the city page.
Is Wakelon Elementary a good school?
Wakelon Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. 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 Wake County Schools?
Besides Wakelon Elementary, Wake County Schools also operates Apex Friendship High (2,748 students), Enloe High (2,643 students), and Panther Creek High (2,609 students). See the Wake 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.