Enrollment
931
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mt. Pleasant, SC
Carolina Park Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Carolina Park Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450144001690
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 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
Carolina Park Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of South Carolina schools.
- #5 of 7
- schools in Mt. Pleasant · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.6:1
- large classes for South Carolina
- 13.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Carolina Park Elementary has class sizes larger than 89% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Carolina Park Elementary ranks #5 of 7 schools in Mt. Pleasant, SC.
School address
District: Charleston 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450144001690 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
13.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-82% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carolina Park Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Carolina Park Elementary
Carolina Park Elementary is a lower-poverty, large combined-grade school in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, enrolling 931 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.6:1 is larger than about 89% of South Carolina schools and 23% above the 14.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 13.0% free-meal eligibility runs 82% below the South Carolina average.
Enrollment of 931 puts it in the larger third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 69 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #46.
Its student body is predominantly White (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 776 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 4.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Mt. Pleasant's public schools, it stands alongside Jennie Moore Elementary (993 students): Carolina Park Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.6:1 vs 15.8:1).
Charleston 01 also operates Wando High (2,588 students) and Rb Stall High (2,135 students) alongside Carolina Park 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 Park Elementary compares
Carolina Park 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 | 17.6:1 | ▲ 23% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 13.0% | ▼ 82% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 931 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.6:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
931
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
13.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 82% 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
17.6:1
students per teacher
- 23% above state mean
Top 89% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
4.1%
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
Counselors1.2 FTE
Per 776 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 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 82.5%
African American 5.2%
Two or More 4.9%
Hispanic or Latino 4.8%
Asian 2.6%
Largest group: White at 82.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.1, Carolina Park 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 Charleston 01, which includes Carolina Park 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 Carolina Park Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wando High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rb Stall High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Ashley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lucy Garrett Beckham High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| James Island Charter High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Carolina Park 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 Mt. Pleasant
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Jennie Moore Elementary
Standard public school
993 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Mamie P. Whitesides Elementary
Standard public school
767 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
James B. Edwards Elementary
Standard public school
767 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Laurel Hill Primary
Standard public school
691 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Belle Hall Elementary
Standard public school
649 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
East Cooper Montessori Charter
Standard public school
433 students 14:1 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 (~931 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Carolina Park Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Carolina Park 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 Carolina Park Elementary
How many students attend Carolina Park Elementary?
Carolina Park Elementary has 931 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mt. Pleasant, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carolina Park Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Carolina Park Elementary is 17.6:1, which is 23% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 12% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Carolina Park Elementary?
13.0% of students at Carolina Park Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carolina Park Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Carolina Park Elementary is White at 82.5% of enrollment, in Mt. Pleasant, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carolina Park Elementary?
Carolina Park Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical 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 Park Elementary rank among schools in Mt. Pleasant?
By Resource Investment Index, Carolina Park Elementary ranks #5 of 7 schools in Mt. Pleasant, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Mt. Pleasant on the city page.
Is Carolina Park Elementary a good school?
Carolina Park Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger 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 Charleston 01?
Besides Carolina Park 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.