Enrollment
212
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Hartsville, SC
Carolina Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Carolina Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 63/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 450186000352
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 68
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Carolina Elementary earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of South Carolina schools.
- #1 of 4
- elementary schools in Hartsville · Resource Index
- 63
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.6:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Carolina Elementary has class sizes smaller than 89% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Carolina Elementary ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Hartsville, SC.
School address
District: Darlington 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450186000352 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.6:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carolina Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Carolina Elementary
Carolina Elementary is a high-poverty, small elementary school in Hartsville, South Carolina, enrolling 212 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.6:1, Carolina Elementary is leaner than roughly 89% of South Carolina schools and 26% under the state's 14.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
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 212 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 98% of the 1,214 South Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 104 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #6, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (61%) and African American (21%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 212 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
12.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 21.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 51 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 212 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Hartsville's elementary schools, it stands alongside North Hartsville Elementary (486 students): Carolina Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.6:1 vs 12.5:1).
Darlington 01 also operates Hartsville High (1,129 students) and Darlington High (965 students) alongside Carolina 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 Carolina Elementary compares
Carolina 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 | 10.6:1 | ▼ 26% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 212 | top 91% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.6:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
212
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
10.6:1
students per teacher
- 26% below state mean
Top 11% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
12.7%
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
$16,032
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 212 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 51 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.1 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 60.8%
African American 20.8%
Two or More 9.0%
Hispanic or Latino 8.0%
Asian 1.4%
Largest group: White at 60.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.2, Carolina 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 Darlington 01, which includes Carolina Elementary.
$16,032
Per student
+10%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.6%
State 40.1%
Federal 21.4%
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 Carolina Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartsville High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Darlington High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Darlington Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hartsville Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| St. John's Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Carolina Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,129
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 965
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 888
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 801
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar elementary schools in Hartsville
3 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 (~212 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Carolina Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Carolina Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Darlington 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 Carolina Elementary
How many students attend Carolina Elementary?
Carolina Elementary has 212 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Hartsville, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carolina Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Carolina Elementary is 10.6:1, which is 26% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 32% 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 Carolina Elementary?
100.0% of students at Carolina Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carolina Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Carolina Elementary is White at 60.8% of enrollment, in Hartsville, 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 Carolina Elementary?
Carolina Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (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 Carolina Elementary rank among elementary schools in Hartsville?
By Resource Investment Index, Carolina Elementary ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Hartsville, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Hartsville on the city page.
Is Carolina Elementary a good school?
Carolina Elementary earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% 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 Darlington 01?
Besides Carolina Elementary, Darlington 01 also operates Hartsville High (1,129 students), Darlington High (965 students), and Darlington Middle (888 students). See the Darlington 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.