Rutherford County Schools
Rutherford County Schools is a public school district based in Forest City, North Carolina, serving 7,394 students in 18 schools. By enrollment it ranks #47 of the 112 North Carolina districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 59% of them. Its schools average 411 students each, about the same as the North Carolina median of 446. Its superintendent is Dr David Sutton. It spends about $11,543 per student on day-to-day operations, about the state median. It has roughly 18.4 students per teacher.
How Rutherford County compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Rutherford County | North Carolina median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $11,543 | $11,153 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $6,925 | $6,920 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $108.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $110.6 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 401 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 18.4 | 15.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 493 | 358 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The North Carolina median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Dr David Sutton
Source: NC Department of Public Instruction, EDDIE, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
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Peer districts in North Carolina
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County SchoolsLouisburg | 7,978 | 16 | $10,538 | 15.5 | #45 |
| Carteret County Public SchoolsBeaufort | 7,847 | 17 | $11,366 | 15.8 | #46 |
| Rutherford County SchoolsForest City · this district | 7,394 | 18 | $11,543 | 18.4 | #47 |
| Surry County SchoolsDobson | 7,318 | 20 | $10,586 | 15.4 | #48 |
| Orange County SchoolsHillsborough | 6,982 | 13 | $13,042 | 15.4 | #49 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middletown City School DistrictMiddletown, NY | 7,397 | $23,791 | 11.2 |
| ClovisClovis, NM | 7,387 | $10,464 | 14.8 |
| Oak Hills LocalCincinnati, OH | 7,381 | $11,331 | 22.2 |
| Enid Public SchoolsEnid, OK | 7,381 | $9,344 | 17.2 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-nc-rutherford-county-schools