Enrollment
502
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370333001396
Wrightsboro Elementary — Wilmington, NC
Federal NCES profile for Wrightsboro Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 23
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: New Hanover 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)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
95.2%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wrightsboro Elementary 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
Wrightsboro Elementary reports 502 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 37.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% 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 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 95.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 44% above the North Carolina average and 84% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 251 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding New Hanover County Schools spends $14,481 per pupil district-wide, above the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.4% from local sources (property taxes), 51.7% from the state, and 18.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Wrightsboro Elementary 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 | 14.1:1 | ▼ 14% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 95.2% | ▲ 44% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 502 | top 52% | — | — |
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
95.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 44% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
— 14% below state mean
Top 35% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
30.7%
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
$14,481
per pupil, district-wide
— above North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 251 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 502 Top 52% in North Carolina — larger than 48% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 37.0
Students per teacher 14.1:1 -14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 95.2% +44% vs state
NCES ID 370333001396
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 43.0%
White 24.5%
African American 23.3%
Two or More 7.8%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 43.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 251:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.7%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for New Hanover County Schools, which includes Wrightsboro Elementary.
$14,481
Per student
+11%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.4%
State 51.7%
Federal 18.8%
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
- 2,243
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 2,082
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,893
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,437
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 907
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
Similar other schools in Wilmington
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
American Leadership Academy-Coastal
Standard public school
1,002 students
Murrayville Elementary
Standard public school
573 students 15:1 students per teacher
John J Blair Elementary
Standard public school
451 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington
Standard public school
362 students 11.7:1 students per teacher
Bradley Creek Elementary
Standard public school
344 students 13:1 students per teacher
R Freeman Sch of Engineering
Standard public school
241 students 10.7:1 students per teacher
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 Wrightsboro Elementary
How many students attend Wrightsboro Elementary?
Wrightsboro Elementary has 502 students enrolled. It is a other school in Wilmington, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wrightsboro Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Wrightsboro Elementary is 14.1:1, which is 14% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 11% 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 Wrightsboro Elementary?
95.2% of students at Wrightsboro Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wrightsboro Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Wrightsboro Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 43.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Wilmington, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wrightsboro Elementary?
Wrightsboro Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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.