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, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Beaufort, South Carolina - 32 schools
An equity score of 59/100 ranks Beaufort 01 #28 of 73 districts in South Carolina (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $16,066 per pupil, Beaufort 01 ranks #12 of 74 South Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (South Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Beaufort 01 operates 32 public schools serving 21,439 students, placing it in the mid-size range in South Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 18 combined, 6 high, 5 middle, 3 elementary 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 Beaufort County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,066 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 74 South Carolina districts by per-pupil spending. See how South Carolina compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 56.5% local, 30.2% state, and 13.4% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 59/100, ranked #28 of 73 in South Carolina against a state average of 51, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 4 of 32 schools offering Advanced Placement (27 AP courses district-wide), a 329.8:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 32.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 31.4% White, 30.7% Hispanic or Latino, 30.3% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Broad River Elementary, with a diversity index of 72.6/100.
Its largest campus is May River High, enrolling 1,731 students (8% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Port Royal Elementary, at 179 students, a 10x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Beaufort 01 school enrollment ranges from 179 students (lowest) to 1,731 students (highest), a spread of 1,552 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 NCES Common Core of Data
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system
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 Variation between sub-units within Beaufort 01 is typically wider than the Beaufort 01-aggregate figure suggests.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection
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.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 32 schools in Beaufort 01.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Beaufort 01's schools, above the South Carolina average of 52.7.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
| School | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| May River High | 1,731 |
| Bluffton High | 1,375 |
| Hilton Head Island High | 1,265 |
| River Ridge Academy | 1,134 |
| Beaufort High | 1,104 |
| Bluffton Middle | 921 |
| Pritchardville Elementary | 887 |
| H. E. Mccracken Middle | 846 |
| Battery Creek High | 809 |
| Robert Smalls International Academy | 785 |
| Hilton Head Island Middle | 778 |
| Bluffton Elementary | 709 |
| Michael C. Riley Elementary | 704 |
| Hilton Head Island Elementary | 702 |
| Riverview Charter School Charter | 694 |
| Okatie Elementary | 648 |
| Red Cedar Elementary | 636 |
| Hilton Head Island School for the Creative Arts | 496 |
| Broad River Elementary | 467 |
| Coosa Elementary | 467 |
| Joseph S. Shanklin Elementary | 416 |
| Whale Branch Elementary | 409 |
| Whale Branch Early College High | 390 |
| Beaufort Elementary | 375 |
| Beaufort Middle | 348 |
| Lady's Island Middle | 338 |
| Mossy Oaks Elementary | 327 |
| St. Helena Elementary | 325 |
| Hilton Head Island Early Childhood Center | 301 |
| Whale Branch Middle | 243 |
| Lady's Island Elementary | 241 |
| Port Royal Elementary | 179 |
The South Carolina districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland 01 | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Charter Institute at Erskine | Similar size | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
| Aiken 01 | Similar size | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
| York 04 | Similar size | Lower spending | Similar funding mix |
| Sc Public Charter School District | Similar size | Higher spending | Less locally funded |
Comparisons are relative to Beaufort 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.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Greenville 01 →Beaufort 01 has 32 schools, including 6 high, 18 combined, 5 middle, 3 elementary. Total enrollment is 21,439 students.
Beaufort 01 spends $16,066 per student. The district has an equity score of 59/100, ranking #28 in South Carolina.
Beaufort 01 students are 31.4% White, 30.7% Hispanic or Latino, 30.3% African American, 1.1% Asian, averaged across 32 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Beaufort 01 has an equity score of 59/100, ranking #28 out of 73 districts in South Carolina.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.