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.
Beaufort, South Carolina - 32 schools
An equity score of 59/100 ranks Beaufort 01 #30 of 74 districts in South Carolina (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $17,232 per pupil, Beaufort 01 ranks #16 of 75 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 $17,232 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half 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 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 #30 of 74 in South Carolina against a state average of 50, 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
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.
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 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 | Higher 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.
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 →Beaufort 01 has 32 schools, including 6 high, 18 combined, 5 middle, 3 elementary. Total enrollment is 21,439 students.
Beaufort 01 spends $17,232 per student. The district has an equity score of 59/100, ranking #30 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 #30 out of 74 districts in South Carolina.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.