Other / mixed grade configuration · Zebulon, NC

Zebulon Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Zebulon Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370472001912
0/100100/10043/100
👥 S:T ratio
40
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
31
📋 Attendance
32
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Zebulon Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.

#2 of 4
schools in Zebulon · Resource Index
43
Resource Index · Typical
15.1:1
students per teacher
69.3%
free-lunch eligible

Zebulon Elementary has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Zebulon Elementary ranks #2 of 4 schools in Zebulon, NC.

Enrollment

693

North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

46.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

15.1:1

vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg

-4% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

69.3%

vs 66.0% North Carolina avg

+5% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Zebulon Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Zebulon Elementary

Zebulon Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Zebulon, North Carolina, enrolling 693 students.

At 15.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the North Carolina median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 69.3% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

Enrollment of 693 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.

Against 306 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #68.

Its student body is led by African American (47%) and Hispanic or Latino (30%) (diversity index 66/100).

Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 347 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 16.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Zebulon's public schools, it stands alongside East Wake Academy (1,265 students): Zebulon Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.1:1 vs 15.8:1).

Wake County Schools also operates Apex Friendship High (2,748 students) and Enloe High (2,643 students) alongside Zebulon 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 Zebulon Elementary compares

Zebulon 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 15.1:1 ▼ 4% 15.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 69.3% ▲ 5% 66.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 693 top 26% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

15.1:1
Leaner classes than 46% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
693
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
69.3%
free-lunch eligible - 5% 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
15.1:1
students per teacher - 4% below state mean
Top 50% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
27.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,859
per pupil, district-wide - below 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 347 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 33 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.2 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

African American 46.6%
Hispanic or Latino 30.4%
White 15.9%
Two or More 5.6%
Asian 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%

Largest group: African American at 46.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 66.2/100

Simpson diversity index - at 66.2, Zebulon Elementary is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wake County Schools, which includes Zebulon Elementary.

$11,859
Per student
-1%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.9%
State 54.5%
Federal 16.6%

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 Zebulon Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Apex Friendship High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Enloe High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Panther Creek High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Millbrook High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Apex High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Zebulon Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Wake County Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Zebulon

3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Zebulon Elementary's federal record.

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 Zebulon Elementary

How many students attend Zebulon Elementary?

Zebulon Elementary has 693 students enrolled. It is a public school in Zebulon, NC.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Zebulon Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Zebulon Elementary is 15.1:1, which is 4% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Zebulon Elementary?

69.3% of students at Zebulon Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Zebulon Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Zebulon Elementary is African American at 46.6% of enrollment, in Zebulon, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.2/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Zebulon Elementary?

Zebulon Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical 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).

How does Zebulon Elementary rank among schools in Zebulon?

By Resource Investment Index, Zebulon Elementary ranks #2 of 4 schools in Zebulon, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Zebulon on the city page.

Is Zebulon Elementary a good school?

Zebulon Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. 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 Wake County Schools?

Besides Zebulon Elementary, Wake County Schools also operates Apex Friendship High (2,748 students), Enloe High (2,643 students), and Panther Creek High (2,609 students). See the Wake County Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.