Marble – A statistical comparison shows how Cherokee County Schools stacks up when compared with neighboring and comparable school systems.
Keisha Dockery recently resigned from the Murphy Town Council after she moved to north Georgia in order to receive a better opportunity for her child’s education. She’s not alone. Statistics are unavailable, but reports are common about parents with familiar local names – like McNabb and West – who were dissatisfied with Cherokee County Schools and moved their children out of the county, and even the state.
So, what do the numbers say?
Two numbers stand out as particularly relevant: per-student spending and student/teacher ratio.
The two must be compared together to provide perspective, but even then other factors are at play. For example, per-student spending may be higher in Cherokee than in other counties, but Cherokee is paying to maintain more campuses for its size than any other county the Scout compared, which saps the amount of classroom resources and services.
Cherokee County Schools’ per-student spending was $13,614, according to the National Center for Education Statistics and based on fiscal data from 2020-21. The student/teacher ratio was 13.25.
North Carolina
Here are the numbers for neighboring and nearby counties in North Carolina.
- Clay County: Amount per student $13,430: Slightly lower than Cherokee County (lower is generally worse). Student/teacher ratio 13.71: Higher than Cherokee County (lower is generally better). Cherokee by these numbers comes out better than Clay.
- Graham County: Amount per student $14,861: Higher. Student/teacher ratio, 12.38: Lower. Graham has better numbers.
- Macon County: Amount per student $11,888: Lower. Student/teacher ratio, 13.28: Lower. The two counties are split.
- Swain County: Amount per student $15,983: Higher. Student/teacher ratio, 14.09: Higher. The two counties are split.
The numbers don’t show other factors. For example, Graham and Clay counties are smaller in population than Cherokee County, while Macon County is larger. So how does Cherokee compare against a similar county?
Transylvania County Schools, which has a similar enrollment (3,312) and population (32,986) to Cherokee County but fewer campuses (nine, with one main high school), spends $13,860 per student (slightly higher than Cherokee) and has a student/teacher ratio of 11.78, which is significantly better than Cherokee.
A comparison to Transylvania County doesn’t take into account other factors, such as demographics and local support.
In short, in North Carolina, Cherokee County’s numbers are not significantly better or worse than its neighboring or nearby counties, but in terms of comparable counties, Cherokee County could do better.
Outside the state, Cherokee and other North Carolina counties’ numbers are sometimes worse, but not always.
Georgia
Fannin County: Amount per student $20,833: Significantly higher. Student/teacher ratio, 13.54: Slightly higher. The two counties are split.
Towns County: Amount per student $19,245: Significantly higher. Student/teacher ratio, 11.22: Lower. Towns numbers are better.
Union County: Amount per student $17,073: Significantly higher. Student/teacher ratio, 13.7: Slightly higher. The two counties are split.
While Georgia’s numbers show more spending per student, they don’t show a significant difference in the student/teacher ratios. Extra money is spent on programs and facilities, which are newer and well maintained and, compared to Cherokee County’s aging school campuses, put Georgia schools ahead.
Georgia schools also pay their teachers higher wages, resulting in a generally more experienced and stable faculty and staff.
Tennessee
Monroe County: Amount per student, $11,339. Student/teacher ratio, 16.99. Cherokee County numbers are better.
Polk County: Amount per student, $11,312: Lower. Student/teacher ratio, 13.19: Slightly lower. The two counties are split.
This is why you don’t often hear about people taking their children out of Cherokee County Schools to send them to Tennessee. The numbers are not better to the west.
Neighbors
Here are more statistics to provide more context.
Enrollment in Cherokee County Schools in 2022-23 was 3,146 of a total population of 28,774. Cherokee County Schools has a budget of $40.2 million and spends about $13,614 per student, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
According to the report, Cherokee County Schools has 237.4 teachers full-time equivalent and 222.72 staff. The student/teacher ratio is 13.25. The majority of teachers are at the elementary school level.
While spending in Cherokee County Schools per-student is generally comparable to other similar rural North Carolina counties, it spends a disproportionate amount on maintaining 12 campuses including three high schools, three middle schools, five elementary schools (including Central Office) and a specialized school – the Schools of Innovation & Technology in Peachtree, which houses two other schools, Tri-County Early College High School and The Oaks Academy, an alternative school.
Here are the numbers for neighboring and nearby counties in North Carolina:
- Clay County: Enrollment, 1,314. Budget, $16.76. Amount per student, $13,430. Teachers, 95.84. Staff, 98.55. Number of campuses: four, with one high school. Student/teacher ratio, 13.71.
- Graham County: Enrollment, 1,141. Budget, $16.63 million. Amount per student, $14,861. Teachers, 92.15. Staff, 106.04. Number of campuses: three, with one high school. Student/teacher ratio, 12.38.
- Macon County: Enrollment, 4,450. Budget, $51.8 million. Amount per student, $11,888. Teachers, 335.06. Staff, 317.57. Number of campuses: 12 with three high schools. Student/teacher ratio, 13.28.
- Swain County: Enrollment, 1,910. Budget, $30.86 million. Amount per student, $15,983. Teachers, 135.51. Staff, 164.2. Number of campuses: five with one high school. Student/teacher ratio, 14.09.
Here are numbers from neighboring and nearby counties in Georgia and Tennessee.
Georgia
- Fannin County, Ga.: Enrollment, 2,799. Budget, $59.79 million. Amount per student, $20,833. Teachers, 206.7. Staff, 276.2. Five campuses with one high school. Student/teacher ratio, 13.54.
- Towns County, Ga.: Enrollment, 1,002. Budget, $18.16 million. Amount per student, $19,245. Teachers, 89.3. Staff, 124.5. Three campuses with one high school. Student/teacher ratio, 11.22.
- Union County, Ga.: Enrollment, 3,024. Budget, $49.59 million. Amount per student, $17,073. Teachers, 220.8. Staff, 286.4. Five campuses with one high school. Student/teacher ratio, 13.7.
Tennessee
- Monroe County, Tenn.: Enrollment, 5,023. Budget, $56.56 million. Amount per student, $11,339. Teachers, 295. Staff, 350.94. A total of 13 campuses with three high schools. Student/teacher ratio, 16.99.
- Polk County, Tenn.: Enrollment, 2,148. Budget, $24.7 million. Amount per student, $11,312. Teachers, 162.84. Staff, 148.08. Seven campuses with two high schools. Student/teacher ratio, 13.19.
The Scout will be publishing an in-depth look at Cherokee County Schools in coming weeks based on the recently released reports.