Enrollment
209
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 370357001471
West Pender Middle — Burgaw, NC
Federal NCES profile for West Pender Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 14
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: Pender 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)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Pender Middle 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 Pender Middle reports 209 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 22% 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 19% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 78.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 19% above the North Carolina average and 52% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 209 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 34.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Pender County Schools spends $12,071 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.0% from local sources (property taxes), 56.8% from the state, and 21.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Pender Middle 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 22% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.8% | ▲ 19% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 209 | top 12% | — | — |
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
78.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 19% above 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
— 22% below state mean
Top 18% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
34.4%
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
$12,071
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 209 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 34 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 209 Top 12% in North Carolina — larger than 88% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 12.8:1 -22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 78.8% +19% vs state
NCES ID 370357001471
Student demographics
White 34.4%
African American 32.1%
Hispanic or Latino 29.7%
Two or More 3.8%
Largest group: White at 34.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 209:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 34.4%
In-school suspensions 17
Out-of-school suspensions 34
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pender County Schools, which includes West Pender Middle.
$12,071
Per student
-7%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.0%
State 56.8%
Federal 21.2%
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
- 1,945
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Enrollment
- 857
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 837
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 752
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Enrollment
- 732
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
Similar middle schools in Burgaw
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Pender Middle
How many students attend West Pender Middle?
West Pender Middle has 209 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Burgaw, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Pender Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at West Pender Middle is 12.8:1, which is 22% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 19% lower 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 Pender Middle?
78.8% of students at West Pender Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Pender Middle?
The largest demographic group at West Pender Middle is White at 34.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Burgaw, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Pender Middle?
West Pender Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.