Enrollment
1,272
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 450273000741
Airport High — West Columbia, SC
Federal NCES profile for Airport High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 24
📚 AP courses 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 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: Lexington 02 · 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)
75.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.6%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Airport 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
Airport High reports 1,272 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 75.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 33% 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 19% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 78.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 6% above the South Carolina average and 52% above the national baseline. The school offers 12 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 318 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 43.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lexington 02 spends $16,747 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 41.1% from local sources (property taxes), 41.7% from the state, and 17.2% 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 Airport 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 | 19:1 | ▲ 33% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.6% | ▲ 6% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,272 | 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
78.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 6% 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
19:1
students per teacher
— 33% above state mean
Top 95% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
43.6%
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
$16,747
per pupil, district-wide
— below South Carolina avg of $17,182
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 318 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
123
in-school suspensions + 85 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 16 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,272 Top 93% in South Carolina — larger than 7% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 75.0
Students per teacher 19:1 +33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 78.6% +6% vs state
NCES ID 450273000741
Student demographics
White 35.6%
African American 34.6%
Hispanic or Latino 24.2%
Two or More 4.1%
Asian 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 35.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 12
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 318:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 43.6%
In-school suspensions 123
Out-of-school suspensions 85
Expulsions 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lexington 02, which includes Airport High.
$16,747
Per student
-3%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 41.1%
State 41.7%
Federal 17.2%
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
- 1,212
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 996
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 977
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 938
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
Similar high schools in West Columbia
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 Airport High
How many students attend Airport High?
Airport High has 1,272 students enrolled. It is a high school in West Columbia, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Airport High?
The student-teacher ratio at Airport High is 19:1, which is 33% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Airport High?
78.6% of students at Airport High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Airport High?
The largest demographic group at Airport High is White at 35.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in West Columbia, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Airport High?
Airport 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.