Enrollment
1,328
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 450336000952
A. C. Flora High — Columbia, SC
Federal NCES profile for A. C. Flora High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 36
📚 AP courses 80
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Richland 01 · South Carolina
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
84.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How A. C. Flora High compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
A. C. Flora High reports 1,328 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 84.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% above the South Carolina state mean of 14.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% above the South Carolina average and 93% above the national baseline. The school offers 16 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 266 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 42.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Richland 01 spends $22,848 per pupil district-wide, above the South Carolina average of $17,182 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 58.1% from local sources (property taxes), 28.3% from the state, and 13.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How A. C. Flora High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against South Carolina state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs South Carolina | South Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.1:1 | ▲ 13% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,328 | top 93% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 35% above the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 78% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
42.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$22,848
per pupil, district-wide
— above South Carolina avg of $17,182
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 266 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
67
in-school suspensions + 68 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 1,328 Top 93% in South Carolina — larger than 7% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 84.0
Students per teacher 16.1:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +35% vs state
NCES ID 450336000952
Student demographics
White 45.3%
African American 39.4%
Hispanic or Latino 8.5%
Two or More 4.7%
Asian 1.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 45.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 16
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 266:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 42.0%
In-school suspensions 67
Out-of-school suspensions 68
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richland 01, which includes A. C. Flora High.
$22,848
Per student
+33%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
+17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 58.1%
State 28.3%
Federal 13.6%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,218
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,144
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 952
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 805
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 755
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
Similar high schools in Columbia
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Spring Valley High
Standard public school
2,230 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Ridge View High
Standard public school
1,631 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
Richland Northeast High
Standard public school
1,340 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Irmo High
Standard public school
1,272 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Dreher High
Standard public school
1,144 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Columbia High
Standard public school
681 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about A. C. Flora High
How many students attend A. C. Flora High?
A. C. Flora High has 1,328 students enrolled. It is a high school in Columbia, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at A. C. Flora High?
The student-teacher ratio at A. C. Flora High is 16.1:1, which is 13% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at A. C. Flora High?
100.0% of students at A. C. Flora High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of A. C. Flora High?
The largest demographic group at A. C. Flora High is White at 45.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Columbia, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for A. C. Flora High?
A. C. Flora High has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.