Middle school (grades 6-8) · Zebulon, NC

Zebulon Middle

Federal NCES profile for Zebulon Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 370472001913
0/100100/10038/100
👥 S:T ratio
36
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
23
📋 Attendance
22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Zebulon Middle earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.

#5 of 5
public schools in Zebulon · Resource Index
38
Resource Index · Typical
16.1:1
students per teacher
60.9%
free-lunch eligible

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

By Resource Investment Index, Zebulon Middle ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Zebulon, NC.

Enrollment

772

North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

48.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

16.1:1

vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg

+2% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

60.9%

vs 66.0% North Carolina avg

-8% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

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

Slightly above 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 Middle

Zebulon Middle is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Zebulon, North Carolina, enrolling 772 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.1:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 60.9% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

Enrollment of 772 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 388 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #182.

Its student body is led by African American (49%) and Hispanic or Latino (29%) (diversity index 65/100).

Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 386 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.2% 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.

Discipline events run high: 526 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 772 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.

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

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 Middle compares

Zebulon Middle 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 ▲ 2% 15.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 60.9% ▼ 8% 66.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 772 top 20% - -

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

16.1:1
Leaner classes than 37% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
772
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
60.9%
free-lunch eligible - 8% below 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
16.1:1
students per teacher - 2% above state mean
Top 64% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.2%
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 386 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
332
in-school suspensions + 194 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 43.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 68.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.

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 49.0%
Hispanic or Latino 29.4%
White 14.1%
Two or More 6.7%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%

Largest group: African American at 49.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 64.9/100

Simpson diversity index - at 64.9, Zebulon Middle 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 Middle.

$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 Middle 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 Middle'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 middle 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 Middle'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 Middle

How many students attend Zebulon Middle?

Zebulon Middle has 772 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Zebulon, NC.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Zebulon Middle?

The student-teacher ratio at Zebulon Middle is 16.1:1, which is 2% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Zebulon Middle?

60.9% of students at Zebulon Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Zebulon Middle?

The largest demographic group at Zebulon Middle is African American at 49.0% of enrollment, in Zebulon, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.9/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Zebulon Middle?

Zebulon Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Middle rank among public schools in Zebulon?

By Resource Investment Index, Zebulon Middle ranks #5 of 5 public 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 public schools in Zebulon on the city page.

Is Zebulon Middle a good school?

Zebulon Middle earns 38/100 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 Middle, 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.