Enrollment
618
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Charleston, SC
Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450144001363
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 90
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median.
- #11 of 21
- schools in Charleston · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 32.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary ranks #11 of 21 schools in Charleston, SC.
School address
District: Charleston 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450144001363 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.7%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary
Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Charleston, South Carolina, enrolling 618 students.
At 13.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the South Carolina median, within a few percentage points of the 14.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 32.7% free-meal eligibility runs 56% below the South Carolina average.
With 618 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 109 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #30.
Its student body is led by White (61%) and African American (22%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 618 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 3.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Charleston's public schools, it stands alongside Orange Grove Charter School (1,170 students): Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.7:1 vs 15.8:1).
Charleston 01 also operates Wando High (2,588 students) and Rb Stall High (2,135 students) alongside Ashley River Creative Arts 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 Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary compares
Ashley River Creative Arts 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 | 13.7:1 | ▼ 4% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.7% | ▼ 56% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 618 | top 42% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
618
Bigger than 74% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 45% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
3.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$15,213
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 618 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 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 60.7%
African American 22.0%
Two or More 7.6%
Hispanic or Latino 6.0%
Asian 3.7%
Largest group: White at 60.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.2, Ashley River Creative Arts 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 Charleston 01, which includes Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary.
$15,213
Per student
+4%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 59.0%
State 27.7%
Federal 13.3%
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 Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wando High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rb Stall High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Ashley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lucy Garrett Beckham High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James Island Charter High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,588
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,135
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,069
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,757
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,612
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar other schools in Charleston
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Orange Grove Charter School
Standard public school
1,170 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Daniel Island School
Standard public school
1,151 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Stiles Point Elementary
Standard public school
866 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
St. Andrew's School of Math and Science
Standard public school
769 students 16:1 students per teacher
Springfield Elementary
Standard public school
679 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Drayton Hall Elementary
Standard public school
640 students 16:1 students per teacher
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.
Similar enrollment (~618 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Charleston 01's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary
How many students attend Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary?
Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary has 618 students enrolled. It is a public school in Charleston, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary is 13.7:1, which is 4% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 13% 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 Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary?
32.7% of students at Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary is White at 60.7% of enrollment, in Charleston, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary?
Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (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 Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary rank among schools in Charleston?
By Resource Investment Index, Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary ranks #11 of 21 schools in Charleston, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Charleston on the city page.
Is Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary a good school?
Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median. 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 Charleston 01?
Besides Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary, Charleston 01 also operates Wando High (2,588 students), Rb Stall High (2,135 students), and West Ashley High (2,069 students). See the Charleston 01 district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.