Enrollment
1,206
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370003000207
Walter M Williams High — Burlington, NC
Federal NCES profile for Walter M Williams High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 25
📚 AP courses 80
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 0
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: Alamance-Burlington 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)
72.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.9%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Walter M Williams High 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
Walter M Williams High reports 1,206 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 72.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% 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 18% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 52.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 20% below the North Carolina average and 2% above the national baseline. The school offers 16 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 402 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 42.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Alamance-Burlington Schools spends $15,701 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 18.4% from local sources (property taxes), 58.2% from the state, and 23.4% 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 5 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 Walter M Williams High 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 | 18.7:1 | ▲ 14% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.9% | ▼ 20% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,206 | top 93% | — | — |
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
52.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 20% 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
18.7:1
students per teacher
— 14% above state mean
Top 87% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
42.2%
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
$15,701
per pupil, district-wide
— above North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 402 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
176
in-school suspensions + 125 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,206 Top 93% in North Carolina — larger than 7% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 72.0
Students per teacher 18.7:1 +14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 52.9% -20% vs state
NCES ID 370003000207
Student demographics
African American 31.8%
Hispanic or Latino 31.1%
White 26.3%
Two or More 7.1%
Asian 3.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 31.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 16
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 402:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 42.2%
In-school suspensions 176
Out-of-school suspensions 125
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alamance-Burlington Schools, which includes Walter M Williams High.
$15,701
Per student
+20%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 18.4%
State 58.2%
Federal 23.4%
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
- 1,148
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,138
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 952
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Enrollment
- 864
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 837
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
Similar high schools in Burlington
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 Walter M Williams High
How many students attend Walter M Williams High?
Walter M Williams High has 1,206 students enrolled. It is a high school in Burlington, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Walter M Williams High?
The student-teacher ratio at Walter M Williams High is 18.7:1, which is 14% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Walter M Williams High?
52.9% of students at Walter M Williams High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Walter M Williams High?
The largest demographic group at Walter M Williams High is African American at 31.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Burlington, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Walter M Williams High?
Walter M Williams High has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.