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Union, South Carolina - 6 schools
An equity score of 47/100 ranks Union 01 #43 of 73 districts in South Carolina (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,834 per pupil, Union 01 ranks #59 of 74 South Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (South Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,788
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$11,834
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Union 01 operates 6 public schools serving 3,788 students, placing it among the smallest districts in South Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 combined, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Union County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,834 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower 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 22.7% local, 53.3% state, and 24.0% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 47/100, ranked #43 of 73 in South Carolina against a state average of 51, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 6 schools offering Advanced Placement (4 AP courses district-wide), a 405.8:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 23.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 50.7% White, 35.4% African American, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Buffalo Elementary, with a diversity index of 65.0/100.
Its largest campus is Union County High, enrolling 1,024 students (29% of the district's total enrollment).
Union County High accounts for 27.0% of all Union 01 student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Union 01-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Union 01 school enrollment varies 2.4× across entities
Union 01 school enrollment ranges from 430 students (lowest) to 1,024 students (highest), a spread of 594 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.
Union 01 has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 90.5% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is a supermajority of the population — well past the 75% concentration-grant threshold that unlocks extra funding 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.
Union 01 student-counselor ratio is 406:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
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.
Union 01 chronic absenteeism rate is 23.3% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within Union 01 is typically wider than the Union 01-aggregate figure suggests.
Union 01 has 6 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 4 combined. Total enrollment is 3,788 students.
How much does Union 01 spend per student?
Union 01 spends $11,834 per student. The district has an equity score of 47/100, ranking #43 in South Carolina.
What is the demographic composition of Union 01?
Union 01 students are 50.7% White, 35.4% African American, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Union 01?
Union 01 has an equity score of 47/100, ranking #43 out of 73 districts in South Carolina.