Enrollment
458
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Wendell, NC
Wendell Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Wendell Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370472001904
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 31
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wendell Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of North Carolina schools.
- #1 of 8
- public schools in Wendell · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.4:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 56.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Wendell Elementary has class sizes smaller than 85% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wendell Elementary ranks #1 of 8 public schools in Wendell, NC.
School address
District: Wake County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370472001904 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wendell Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wendell Elementary
Wendell Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Wendell, North Carolina, enrolling 458 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.4:1, Wendell Elementary is leaner than roughly 85% of North Carolina schools and 22% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 56.5% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 458 students, its enrollment sits close to the North Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 480 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #39, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (34%) and African American (33%) (diversity index 72/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 229 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.5% 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 Wendell's elementary schools, it stands alongside Cardinal Charter Acad at Wendell Falls (567 students): Wendell Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.4:1 vs 17.7:1).
Wake County Schools also operates Apex Friendship High (2,748 students) and Enloe High (2,643 students) alongside Wendell 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 Wendell Elementary compares
Wendell 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 | 12.4:1 | ▼ 22% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.5% | ▼ 14% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 458 | top 55% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
458
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
56.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% 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
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 15% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
27.5%
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 229 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.1 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
White 33.8%
African American 33.0%
Hispanic or Latino 23.8%
Asian 4.4%
Two or More 4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: White at 33.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 71.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 71.7, Wendell 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 Wendell 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 Wendell 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 Wendell 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 elementary schools in Wendell
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~458 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wendell Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Wendell 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 Wendell Elementary
How many students attend Wendell Elementary?
Wendell Elementary has 458 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Wendell, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wendell Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Wendell Elementary is 12.4:1, which is 22% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wendell Elementary?
56.5% of students at Wendell Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wendell Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Wendell Elementary is White at 33.8% of enrollment, in Wendell, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wendell Elementary?
Wendell Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher 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 Wendell Elementary rank among public schools in Wendell?
By Resource Investment Index, Wendell Elementary ranks #1 of 8 public schools in Wendell, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Wendell on the city page.
Is Wendell Elementary a good school?
Wendell Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of North Carolina schools. 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 Wendell 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.