Enrollment
215
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Orangeburg, SC
Brookdale Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Brookdale Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 62/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450391000866
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Brookdale Elementary earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of South Carolina schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most South Carolina schools.
- #1 of 5
- schools in Orangeburg · Resource Index
- 62
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.6:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Brookdale Elementary has class sizes smaller than 71% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Brookdale Elementary ranks #1 of 5 schools in Orangeburg, SC.
School address
District: Orangeburg · South Carolina
NCES ID 450391000866 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Brookdale Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Brookdale Elementary
Brookdale Elementary is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Orangeburg, South Carolina, enrolling 215 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
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.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 91% of South Carolina schools, with 215 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 1,214 South Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 108 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #10, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (86% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 25/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 215 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
11.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 19.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Orangeburg's public schools, it stands alongside Marshall Elementary (625 students): Brookdale Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.6:1 vs 16.9:1).
Orangeburg also operates Orangeburg Wilkinson High (992 students) and Lake Marion High School (692 students) alongside Brookdale 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 Brookdale Elementary compares
Brookdale 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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 12% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 215 | top 91% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
215
Bigger than 21% 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
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 29% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
11.6%
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
$15,232
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 215 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.4 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
African American 86.0%
Hispanic or Latino 8.4%
White 2.8%
Two or More 1.9%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: African American at 86.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.2, Brookdale Elementary is less mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orangeburg, which includes Brookdale Elementary.
$15,232
Per student
+5%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Brookdale Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orangeburg Wilkinson High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lake Marion High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Edisto Primary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Marshall Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Edisto High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Brookdale Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 992
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 692
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 635
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 625
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 614
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar other schools in Orangeburg
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Marshall Elementary
Standard public school
625 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Sheridan Elementary
Standard public school
450 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Whittaker Elementary
Standard public school
325 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Rivelon Elementary
Standard public school
222 students 15.9:1 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 (~215 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Brookdale Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Brookdale Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Orangeburg'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 Brookdale Elementary
How many students attend Brookdale Elementary?
Brookdale Elementary has 215 students enrolled. It is a public school in Orangeburg, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Brookdale Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Brookdale Elementary is 12.6:1, which is 12% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 20% 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 Brookdale Elementary?
100.0% of students at Brookdale Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Brookdale Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Brookdale Elementary is African American at 86.0% of enrollment, in Orangeburg, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Brookdale Elementary?
Brookdale Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (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 Brookdale Elementary rank among schools in Orangeburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Brookdale Elementary ranks #1 of 5 schools in Orangeburg, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Orangeburg on the city page.
Is Brookdale Elementary a good school?
Brookdale Elementary earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of South Carolina schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Orangeburg?
Besides Brookdale Elementary, Orangeburg also operates Orangeburg Wilkinson High (992 students), Lake Marion High School (692 students), and Edisto Primary (635 students). See the Orangeburg 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.