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.
Orangeburg, South Carolina - 27 schools
An equity score of 66/100 ranks Orangeburg #22 of 74 districts in South Carolina (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $16,571 per pupil, Orangeburg ranks #19 of 75 South Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (South Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Orangeburg operates 27 public schools serving 10,979 students, placing it in the mid-size range in South Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 18 combined, 4 middle, 3 high, 2 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 Orangeburg County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,571 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 33.7% local, 46.7% state, and 19.6% 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 66/100, ranked #22 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 2 of 27 schools offering Advanced Placement (4 AP courses district-wide), a 263.8:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 31.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 71.5% African American, 18.6% White, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Edisto Elementary, with a diversity index of 62.2/100.
Its largest campus is Orangeburg Wilkinson High, enrolling 992 students (10% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Mellichamp Elementary, at 144 students, a 7x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Orangeburg school enrollment ranges from 144 students (lowest) to 992 students (highest), a spread of 848 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. 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 is above 87.5%, so economic need is widespread across the measured student population. 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 Variation between sub-units within Orangeburg is typically wider than the Orangeburg-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 27 schools in Orangeburg.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Orangeburg's schools, below the South Carolina average of 52.7.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
| School | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| Orangeburg Wilkinson High | 992 |
| Lake Marion High School | 692 |
| Edisto Primary | 635 |
| Marshall Elementary | 625 |
| Edisto High | 614 |
| William J. Clark Middle | 587 |
| Sheridan Elementary | 450 |
| Carver Edisto Middle | 439 |
| Edisto Elementary | 419 |
| Holly Hill-Roberts Middle | 418 |
| Robert E. Howard Middle | 396 |
| Holly Hill Elementary | 356 |
| Bethune-Bowman Middle/High | 349 |
| Whittaker Elementary | 325 |
| Branchville High | 317 |
| Bethune-Bowman Elementary | 259 |
| Elloree Elementary | 252 |
| Lockett Elementary | 239 |
| Dover Elementary | 237 |
| North Middle/High | 227 |
| Rivelon Elementary | 222 |
| Hunter-Kinard-Tyler High | 220 |
| Brookdale Elementary | 215 |
| St. James-Gaillard Elementary | 211 |
| Vance-Providence Elementary | 209 |
| Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Elementary | 179 |
| Mellichamp Elementary | 144 |
The South Carolina districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson 01 | Similar size | Lower spending | Similar funding mix |
| Kershaw 01 | Similar size | Lower spending | Similar funding mix |
| Spartanburg 05 | Similar size | Lower spending | More locally funded |
| Spartanburg 06 | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Spartanburg 02 | Similar size | Lower spending | Similar funding mix |
Comparisons are relative to Orangeburg'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 →Orangeburg has 27 schools, including 3 high, 18 combined, 4 middle, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 10,979 students.
Orangeburg spends $16,571 per student. The district has an equity score of 66/100, ranking #22 in South Carolina.
Orangeburg students are 71.5% African American, 18.6% White, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 0.8% Asian, averaged across 27 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Orangeburg has an equity score of 66/100, ranking #22 out of 74 districts in South Carolina.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.