Other / mixed grade configuration · Columbia, SC

A. C. Moore Elementary

Federal NCES profile for A. C. Moore Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 63/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450336000926
0/100100/10063/100
👥 S:T ratio
61
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
51
📋 Attendance
71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

A. C. Moore Elementary earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of South Carolina schools.

#1 of 43
schools in Columbia · Resource Index
63
Resource Index · Higher
9.8:1
small classes for South Carolina
100.0%
free-lunch eligible

A. C. Moore Elementary has class sizes smaller than 92% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, A. C. Moore Elementary ranks #1 of 43 schools in Columbia, SC.

School address

Enrollment

244

South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

25.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

9.8:1

vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg

-31% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

100.0%

vs 74.0% South Carolina avg

+35% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How A. C. Moore Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at A. C. Moore Elementary

A. C. Moore Elementary is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Columbia, South Carolina, enrolling 244 students.

Classes run notably small here: at 9.8:1, A. C. Moore Elementary is leaner than roughly 92% of South Carolina schools and 31% under the state's 14.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 100.0% lands close to the South Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

Enrollment of 244 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index outscores 98% of the 1,214 South Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.

Among 144 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #5, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (41%) and African American (33%) (diversity index 69/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 244 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

11.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

The surrounding Richland 01 spends $18,122 per pupil, 24% above the South Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.

Among Columbia's public schools, it stands alongside Sc Connections Academy (6,152 students): A. C. Moore Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.8:1 vs 27.8:1).

Richland 01 also operates A. C. Flora High (1,328 students) and Lower Richland High (1,218 students) alongside A. C. Moore Elementary.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How A. C. Moore Elementary compares

A. C. Moore Elementary on the metrics families compare, against South Carolina and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs South Carolina South Carolina avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 9.8:1 ▼ 31% 14.3:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% ▲ 35% 74.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 244 top 88% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

9.8:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
244
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

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
9.8:1
students per teacher - 31% below state mean
Top 8% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
11.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$18,122
per pupil, district-wide - above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 244 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

White 41.4%
African American 33.2%
Hispanic or Latino 11.9%
Two or More 9.0%
Asian 4.5%

Largest group: White at 41.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 69.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 69.4, A. C. Moore Elementary is more mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richland 01, which includes A. C. Moore Elementary.

$18,122
Per student
+24%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.

How A. C. Moore Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
A. C. Flora High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Lower Richland High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Dreher High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Crayton Middle Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Brennen Elementary Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to A. C. Moore Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Richland 01 · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Columbia

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of South Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on A. C. Moore Elementary's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about A. C. Moore Elementary

How many students attend A. C. Moore Elementary?

A. C. Moore Elementary has 244 students enrolled. It is a public school in Columbia, SC.

What is the student-teacher ratio at A. C. Moore Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at A. C. Moore Elementary is 9.8:1, which is 31% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 38% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at A. C. Moore Elementary?

100.0% of students at A. C. Moore Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of A. C. Moore Elementary?

The largest demographic group at A. C. Moore Elementary is White at 41.4% of enrollment, in Columbia, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.4/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for A. C. Moore Elementary?

A. C. Moore Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does A. C. Moore Elementary rank among schools in Columbia?

By Resource Investment Index, A. C. Moore Elementary ranks #1 of 43 schools in Columbia, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Columbia on the city page.

Is A. C. Moore Elementary a good school?

A. C. Moore Elementary earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of South Carolina schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Richland 01?

Besides A. C. Moore Elementary, Richland 01 also operates A. C. Flora High (1,328 students), Lower Richland High (1,218 students), and Dreher High (1,144 students). See the Richland 01 district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.