Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Aiken, South Carolina - 39 schools
An equity score of 21/100 ranks Aiken 01 #69 of 74 districts in South Carolina (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,967 per pupil, Aiken 01 ranks #67 of 75 South Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (South Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Aiken 01 operates 39 public schools serving 23,181 students, placing it in the mid-size range in South Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 22 combined, 10 middle, 7 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Aiken County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,967 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the bottom 8 of 75 South Carolina districts by per-pupil spending. See how South Carolina compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 39.3% local, 45.4% state, and 15.3% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 21/100, ranked #69 of 74 in South Carolina against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 8 of 39 schools offering Advanced Placement (87 AP courses district-wide), a 389.3:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 30.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 41.9% White, 33.3% African American, 15.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Clearwater Elementary, with a diversity index of 71.4/100.
Its largest campus is North Augusta High, enrolling 1,645 students (7% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Aiken Scholars Academy, at 176 students, a 9x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Aiken 01 school enrollment ranges from 176 students (lowest) to 1,645 students (highest), a spread of 1,469 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
The reported share sits between 62.5% and 75%, above a simple majority but below the highest descriptive band used here. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
This district scores below average on funding equity. High reliance on local revenue or lower spending may contribute.
Average demographic composition across 39 schools in Aiken 01.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Aiken 01's schools, above the South Carolina average of 52.7.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
The South Carolina districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charter Institute at Erskine | Similar size | Higher spending | Less locally funded |
| Richland 01 | Similar size | Higher spending | More locally funded |
| Beaufort 01 | Similar size | Higher spending | More locally funded |
| Dorchester 02 | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Lexington 01 | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
Comparisons are relative to Aiken 01's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Greenville 01 →Aiken 01 has 39 schools, including 7 high, 22 combined, 10 middle. Total enrollment is 23,181 students.
Aiken 01 spends $11,967 per student. The district has an equity score of 21/100, ranking #69 in South Carolina.
Aiken 01 students are 41.9% White, 33.3% African American, 15.6% Hispanic or Latino, 0.8% Asian, averaged across 39 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Aiken 01 has an equity score of 21/100, ranking #69 out of 74 districts in South Carolina.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.