Some educational opportunities depend upon the resources available in a school. One indication of a school's instructional resources is the number of books its media center/library has in its collection. Each year, schools count the total number of books (both print and non-print) in their collection. Periodicals, software titles, videotapes, and electronic books are not included in this count. Schools are directed to count no more than five copies of a single title and to count encyclopedias as one book.
It may be difficult to determine exactly the "right" number of books per student. Start by using the district and state averages for comparison. You might also speak with your school's principal or head librarian/media specialist. Fewer books per student are not necessarily a problem. Some schools may have purged their older and more worn-out books so the size of their current collection might be smaller than normal.
For information about the textbooks used in your child's classroom, check out the North Carolina Textbook Catalog website For technical information about these data, see the Data Sources & Information Guide.