Enrollment
784
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cape Carteret, NC
White Oak Elementary
Federal NCES profile for White Oak Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370063000260
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 79
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
White Oak Elementary earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most North Carolina schools.
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16:1
- students per teacher
- 99.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 784
- students enrolled
White Oak Elementary has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Carteret County Public Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370063000260 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.6%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How White Oak Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at White Oak Elementary
White Oak Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Cape Carteret, North Carolina, enrolling 784 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 99.6% of students qualify for free meals, 51% above the North Carolina average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 784 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 377 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #5, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 25/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 392 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 19.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Carteret County Public Schools also operates West Carteret High (1,095 students) and Croatan High (1,019 students) alongside White Oak 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 White Oak Elementary compares
White Oak 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 | 16:1 | ▲ 1% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.6% | ▲ 51% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 784 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
784
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% above the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 62% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
8.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$13,086
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 392 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.6 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 86.4%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Two or More 5.0%
Asian 1.5%
African American 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 86.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.7, White Oak Elementary is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Carteret County Public Schools, which includes White Oak Elementary.
$13,086
Per student
+9%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.2%
State 54.7%
Federal 19.2%
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.
How White Oak Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Carteret High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Croatan High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Broad Creek Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Newport Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| East Carteret High | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to White Oak Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,095
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,019
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 722
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 621
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 521
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar other 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 (~784 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on White Oak Elementary's federal record.
- Compare White Oak Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Carteret County Public 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 White Oak Elementary
How many students attend White Oak Elementary?
White Oak Elementary has 784 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cape Carteret, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at White Oak Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at White Oak Elementary is 16:1, which is 1% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at White Oak Elementary?
99.6% of students at White Oak Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of White Oak Elementary?
The largest demographic group at White Oak Elementary is White at 86.4% of enrollment, in Cape Carteret, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for White Oak Elementary?
White Oak Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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).
Is White Oak Elementary a good school?
White Oak Elementary earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Carteret County Public Schools?
Besides White Oak Elementary, Carteret County Public Schools also operates West Carteret High (1,095 students), Croatan High (1,019 students), and Broad Creek Middle (722 students). See the Carteret County Public Schools district page for the complete list.
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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.