Enrollment
662
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 370432002649
West Stanly Middle School — Locust, NC
Federal NCES profile for West Stanly Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 29/100.
👥 Class size 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 15
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: Stanly 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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.2:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.4%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Stanly Middle School 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 Stanly Middle School reports 662 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% 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 8% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 40% below the North Carolina average and 24% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 662 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 34.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Stanly County Schools spends $12,039 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 18.7% from local sources (property taxes), 60.2% from the state, and 21.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F), 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 Stanly Middle School 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 | 17.2:1 | ▲ 5% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.4% | ▼ 40% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 662 | top 72% | — | — |
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
39.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 40% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.2:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 77% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
34.1%
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
$12,039
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 662 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
67
in-school suspensions + 63 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 662 Top 72% in North Carolina — larger than 28% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 17.2:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.4% -40% vs state
NCES ID 370432002649
Student demographics
White 71.3%
Hispanic or Latino 15.3%
Two or More 5.9%
African American 5.3%
Asian 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 71.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 662:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 34.1%
In-school suspensions 67
Out-of-school suspensions 63
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Stanly County Schools, which includes West Stanly Middle School.
$12,039
Per student
-8%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 18.7%
State 60.2%
Federal 21.1%
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
- 800
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 568
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 525
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 483
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
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 Stanly Middle School
How many students attend West Stanly Middle School?
West Stanly Middle School has 662 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Locust, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Stanly Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at West Stanly Middle School is 17.2:1, which is 5% higher than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at West Stanly Middle School?
39.4% of students at West Stanly Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Stanly Middle School?
The largest demographic group at West Stanly Middle School is White at 71.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Locust, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Stanly Middle School?
West Stanly Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F) 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.