Enrollment
259
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 450391000849
Bethune-Bowman Elementary — Rowesville, SC
Federal NCES profile for Bethune-Bowman Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 34
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: Orangeburg · 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)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bethune-Bowman Elementary 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
Bethune-Bowman Elementary reports 259 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% 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 6% 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. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 259 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Orangeburg spends $16,538 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.7% from local sources (property taxes), 46.7% from the state, and 19.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Bethune-Bowman Elementary 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 | 16.9:1 | ▲ 18% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 259 | top 13% | — | — |
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
16.9:1
students per teacher
— 18% above state mean
Top 85% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.3%
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
$16,538
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 259 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
33
in-school suspensions + 42 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 29.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 259 Top 13% in South Carolina — larger than 87% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 16.9:1 +18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +35% vs state
NCES ID 450391000849
Student demographics
African American 84.9%
Hispanic or Latino 12.0%
Two or More 2.3%
White 0.8%
Largest group: African American at 84.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 259:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.3%
In-school suspensions 33
Out-of-school suspensions 42
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orangeburg, which includes Bethune-Bowman Elementary.
$16,538
Per student
-4%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.7%
State 46.7%
Federal 19.6%
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
- 992
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 692
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 635
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 625
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Enrollment
- 614
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
Similar other schools in Rowesville
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Bethune-Bowman Elementary
How many students attend Bethune-Bowman Elementary?
Bethune-Bowman Elementary has 259 students enrolled. It is a other school in Rowesville, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bethune-Bowman Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bethune-Bowman Elementary is 16.9:1, which is 18% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bethune-Bowman Elementary?
100.0% of students at Bethune-Bowman Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bethune-Bowman Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bethune-Bowman Elementary is African American at 84.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Rowesville, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bethune-Bowman Elementary?
Bethune-Bowman Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.