Swain County Schools
Swain County Schools is a public school district based in Bryson City, North Carolina, serving 1,872 students in 6 schools. By enrollment it ranks #96 of the 112 North Carolina districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 14% of them. Its schools average 312 students each, fewer than the North Carolina median of 446. Its superintendent is Dr Brandon Sutton. It spends about $12,267 per student on day-to-day operations, 10% more than the North Carolina median. It has roughly 16.9 students per teacher.
How Swain County compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Swain County | North Carolina median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $12,267 | $11,153 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $7,032 | $6,920 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $30.1 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $30.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 111 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 16.9 | 15.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 468 | 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 Brandon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camden County SchoolsCamden | 1,918 | 5 | $11,025 | 15.2 | #95 |
| Swain County SchoolsBryson City · this district | 1,872 | 6 | $12,267 | 16.9 | #96 |
| Mount Airy City SchoolsMount Airy | 1,786 | 4 | $11,205 | 14.6 | #97 |
| Perquimans County SchoolsHertford | 1,786 | 4 | $11,954 | 15.1 | #98 |
| Avery County SchoolsNewland | 1,782 | 8 | $13,414 | 13.9 | #99 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homer Central School DistrictHomer, NY | 1,873 | $20,199 | 10.9 |
| Sandwich CUSD 430Sandwich, IL | 1,872 | $13,229 | 14.3 |
| Rush County SchoolsRushville, IN | 1,872 | $10,854 | 12.4 |
| Comstock Public SchoolsKalamazoo, MI | 1,871 | $13,300 | 14.5 |
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-swain-county-schools