Regular local school district · Rutherford County
Rutherford County Schools, NC: schools, enrollment and spending
Rutherford County Schools runs 18 public schools with 7,394 students in grades PK to 13. Its ratio of 18.4 students per teacher is 2.1 higher than the North Carolina figure of 16.3.
At a glance
- Schools
- 18
- Students
- 7,394
- Teachers (FTE)
- 401
- Students per teacher
- 18.4
- NC: 16.3 · US: 15.3
- Address
- 382 West Main Street, Forest City, NC 28043
- Phone
- (828)288-2200
- County
- Rutherford County
- Locale
- Rural: Fringe
- Grades offered
- PK to 13
- Agency type
- Regular local school district
- NCES district ID
- 3704080
- State district ID
- NC-810
- School counselors (FTE)
- 15.0About 493 students per counselor.
Students per teacher compared
This district18.4
North Carolina16.3
United States15.3
2020 finance data
From the F-33 School District Finance Survey for fiscal year 2020, in nominal dollars. Enrollment used for per-pupil figures is the finance survey count (7,557), which can differ from 2024-25 enrollment.
- Total revenue
- $110.6 million
- Federal revenue
- $14.6 million
- State revenue
- $68.2 million
- Local revenue
- $27.8 million
- Total spending
- $108.9 million
- Spending per pupil
- $14,407
- Salaries
- $50.1 million46.0% of total spending.
- Long-term debt (end of year)
- $26.3 million
Where revenue came from
- Federal: 13.2%
- State: 61.6%
- Local: 25.2%
North Carolina overall
- Federal: 12.1%
- State: 61.7%
- Local: 26.2%
Spending per pupil compared
This district$14,407
North Carolina$11,869
United States$16,826
Schools in Rutherford County Schools
By level: 5 high, 3 middle, 10 elementary. A CEP school serves free meals to all students.
| Chase High School | High | 9 to 12 | 596 | 21.3 |
| Chase Middle School | Middle | 6 to 8 | 484 | 18.6 |
| Cliffside Elementary School | Elementary | K to 5 | 188 | 15.7 |
| East Rutherford High School | High | 9 to 12 | 623 | 19.5 |
| East Rutherford Middle School | Middle | 6 to 8 | 533 | 20.5 |
| Ellenboro Elementary School | Elementary | PK to 5 | 567 | 18.9 |
| Forest City-Dunbar Elementary School | Elementary | PK to 5 | 459 | 19.1 |
| Forrest W. Hunt Elementary School | Elementary | PK to 5 | 460 | 20.0 |
| Harris Elementary School | Elementary | PK to 5 | 434 | 16.7 |
| Mt. Vernon-Ruth Elementary School | Elementary | PK to 5 | 231 | 17.8 |
| Pinnacle Elementary School | Elementary | PK to 5 | 254 | 16.9 |
| R-S Central High School | High | 9 to 12 | 763 | 21.8 |
| R-S Middle School | Middle | 6 to 8 | 561 | 18.7 |
| Rutherford Early College High School | High | 9 to 13 | 208 | 69.3 |
| Rutherford Opportunity Center | High | 6 to 12 | 82 | 9.1 |
| Rutherfordton Elementary School | Elementary | PK to 5 | 397 | 16.5 |
| Spindale Elementary School | Elementary | PK to 5 | 337 | 16.9 |
| Sunshine Elementary School | Elementary | PK to 5 | 217 | 16.7 |
Nearby and related
Other districts in Rutherford County
- Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy 1,330 students
- Lake Lure Classical Academy 481 students
More in North Carolina
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 and F-33 finance 2020, via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. Last reviewed October 2026. Finance figures are 2020 finance data in nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Blank values are not available, not applicable or suppressed in the source. See the methodology.