Enrollment
523
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Irmo, SC
Ballentine Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Ballentine Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 450282000776
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 73
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ballentine Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of South Carolina schools.
- #8 of 9
- public schools in Irmo · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.9:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 39.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Ballentine Elementary has class sizes smaller than 80% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ballentine Elementary ranks #8 of 9 public schools in Irmo, SC.
School address
District: Lexington 05 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450282000776 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.2%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ballentine Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ballentine Elementary
Ballentine Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Irmo, South Carolina, enrolling 523 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 39.2% of students eligible for free meals.
With 523 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 78 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #29.
Its student body is led by White (61%) and African American (20%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 523 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Irmo's elementary schools, it stands alongside Green Charter School of the Midlands (258 students): Ballentine Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (11.9:1 vs 9.6:1).
Lexington 05 also operates Dutch Fork High (1,703 students) and Chapin High (1,617 students) alongside Ballentine 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 Ballentine Elementary compares
Ballentine 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 | 11.9:1 | ▼ 17% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.2% | ▼ 47% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 523 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.9:1
Leaner classes than 76% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
523
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 47% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.9:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 20% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
10.9%
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
$14,775
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 523 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 61.4%
African American 20.1%
Two or More 7.3%
Hispanic or Latino 7.1%
Asian 4.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 61.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.1, Ballentine 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 Lexington 05, which includes Ballentine Elementary.
$14,775
Per student
+1%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.4%
State 50.2%
Federal 9.4%
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 Ballentine Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dutch Fork High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chapin High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Irmo High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Spring Hill High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chapin Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ballentine Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,703
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,617
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,272
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,118
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 1,007
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar elementary schools in Irmo
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~523 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ballentine Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Ballentine Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Lexington 05'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 Ballentine Elementary
How many students attend Ballentine Elementary?
Ballentine Elementary has 523 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Irmo, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ballentine Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Ballentine Elementary is 11.9:1, which is 17% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 24% 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 Ballentine Elementary?
39.2% of students at Ballentine Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ballentine Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Ballentine Elementary is White at 61.4% of enrollment, in Irmo, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ballentine Elementary?
Ballentine Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Ballentine Elementary rank among public schools in Irmo?
By Resource Investment Index, Ballentine Elementary ranks #8 of 9 public schools in Irmo, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Irmo on the city page.
Is Ballentine Elementary a good school?
Ballentine Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% 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 Lexington 05?
Besides Ballentine Elementary, Lexington 05 also operates Dutch Fork High (1,703 students), Chapin High (1,617 students), and Irmo High (1,272 students). See the Lexington 05 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.