Enrollment
634
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370058000241
West Caldwell High — Lenoir, NC
Federal NCES profile for West Caldwell High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 36
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 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: Caldwell 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)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.2%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Caldwell 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
West Caldwell High reports 634 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 47.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% below the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 63.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 4% below the North Carolina average and 22% above the national baseline. The school offers 2 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 211 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 69.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Caldwell County Schools spends $12,314 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.5% from local sources (property taxes), 57.4% from the state, and 26.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 West Caldwell 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 | 16:1 | ▼ 2% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.2% | ▼ 4% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 634 | top 69% | — | — |
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
63.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 4% 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
16:1
students per teacher
— 2% below state mean
Top 64% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
69.6%
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
$12,314
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 211 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
110
in-school suspensions + 120 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 36.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 634 Top 69% in North Carolina — larger than 31% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 47.0
Students per teacher 16:1 -2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 63.2% -4% vs state
NCES ID 370058000241
Student demographics
White 57.4%
Hispanic or Latino 23.2%
African American 9.9%
Two or More 8.5%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 57.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 211:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 69.6%
In-school suspensions 110
Out-of-school suspensions 120
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Caldwell County Schools, which includes West Caldwell High.
$12,314
Per student
-6%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.5%
State 57.4%
Federal 26.1%
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
- 1,272
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Enrollment
- 818
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 665
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 647
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 551
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
Similar high schools in Lenoir
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 West Caldwell High
How many students attend West Caldwell High?
West Caldwell High has 634 students enrolled. It is a high school in Lenoir, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Caldwell High?
The student-teacher ratio at West Caldwell High is 16:1, which is 2% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at West Caldwell High?
63.2% of students at West Caldwell High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Caldwell High?
The largest demographic group at West Caldwell High is White at 57.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lenoir, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Caldwell High?
West Caldwell High has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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.