Carolina School for Inquiry
Public elementary school, pre-kindergarten to grade 6 · Columbia, South Carolina
Carolina School for Inquiry in Columbia, South Carolina enrolled 114 students in 2024-25 with 12.0 full-time teachers, 9.5 students per teacher against the South Carolina elementary-school median of 13.4. It ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22; every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision (2024-25). On the state tests, 30-39% of its students tested were proficient in reading in 2021-22 and 20-29% proficient in math in 2022-23 (South Carolina: 52.1% and 43%).
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 · Title I status CCD 2021-22 · method
Enrollment rose 19% from 2022-23 to 2024-25; full-time teachers rose 100%
96 students in 2022-23, 113 students in 2023-24, 114 students in 2024-25. Full-time teachers went from 6.0 to 12.0.
The numbers as a table
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 96 | 6.0 | 16.0 |
| 2023-24 | 113 | 10.0 | 11.3 |
| 2024-25 | 114 | 12.0 | 9.5 |
9.5 students per teacher, a lower ratio than 95 of every 100 South Carolina elementary schools
Among the 669 South Carolina elementary schools that reported teachers for 2024-25 the median is 13.4; the national median for elementary schools is 14.6. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; the comparison counts schools with a 2024-25 teacher count and a ratio from 3 to 99 (lower values are reporting errors).
One counselor per 124 students in 2021-22
In the 2021-22 civil rights collection Carolina School for Inquiry enrolled 124 students and had 1.0 counselor (full-time equivalent); it reported 0 out-of-school suspensions that year.
- Advanced Placement coursesNone
- Gifted and talented programYes
- Counselors (FTE)1.0, one per 124 of the 124 students enrolled in 2021-22
- Out-of-school suspensions0
- Chronically absent15.6% (2022-23)
Who attends
91.2% of students were Black, 3.5% White, 2.6% of two or more races in 2024-25.
- Black91.2%
- White3.5%
- Two or more races2.6%
- Hispanic1.8%
- Asian0.9%
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22; chronic absenteeism from EDFacts 2022-23; every count and the counselor ratio are for that school year. Who attends: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, membership by race and ethnicity.
State test results, 2021-22 and 2022-23
The students tested at Carolina School for Inquiry scored proficient or above: 30-39% in reading in 2021-22 and 20-29% in math in 2022-23, against 52.1% in reading in 2021-22 and 43% in math in 2022-23 across South Carolina. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within South Carolina, not across states. ED Data Express holds no district results after 2021-22, so the district column gives its 2021-22 figure.
| Subject and year | This school | Its district | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts, 2021-22 | 30‑39% | 41% | 52.1% |
| Math, 2022-23 | 20‑29% | 28% (2021-22) | 43% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22 and 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express (2021-22 through the Data Rescue Project archive); for 2022-23 ED published math by school and reading only by state: ED shows school and district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Elementary schools in Columbia
42 public elementary schools in Columbia report 2024-25 enrollment.
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch |
|---|---|---|---|
| E. L. Wright Middle | 1,275 | 14.6 | 64.5% |
| Summit Parkway Middle | 1,229 | 14.6 | 61.7% |
| Brennen Elementary | 805 | 14.2 | 100.0% |
| Satchel Ford Elementary | 721 | 15.2 | 100.0% |
| Rice Creek Elementary | 718 | 13.1 | 76.1% |
| Caughman Road Elementary | 715 | 13.5 | 100.0% |
| Killian Elementary | 699 | 11.6 | 100.0% |
| Sandlapper Elementary | 671 | 13.2 | 71.3% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25.
What to look at next about Carolina School for Inquiry
- Forest Heights ElementaryThe nearest public elementary school, 1.4 miles away: 435 students, 12.1 per teacher (2024-25).1.4 mi
- J. P. Thomas ElementaryThe next nearest public elementary school, 2.1 miles away: 346 students, 12.4 per teacher (2024-25).2.1 mi
- Compare Carolina School for Inquiry with Forest Heights ElementaryStudents, teachers, meals, test results and who attends, side by side.
- How much Richland 01 spends per student$18,992 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (U.S. $16,260), with its revenue sources and teacher pay.$18,992
- The largest public schools in South CarolinaCarolina School for Inquiry is the number 660 by size of 671 South Carolina elementary schools open in 2024-25.#660 of 671
- South Carolina schools by students per teacher9.5 students per teacher here against the South Carolina median of 13.4 for elementary schools.9.5:1
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (locations, enrollment, teachers); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23. Distances are straight lines between the schools' NCES coordinates, not travel routes.
Questions about Carolina School for Inquiry
How many students attend Carolina School for Inquiry?
114 in the 2024-25 school year, according to the NCES Common Core of Data; 96 in 2022-23. It is an elementary school in Columbia, SC.What is the student-teacher ratio at Carolina School for Inquiry?
9.5 students per full-time teacher (2024-25); the South Carolina median for elementary schools is 13.4. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.Is Carolina School for Inquiry a Title I school?
Carolina School for Inquiry ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, the last year NCES published school Title I status.How do students at Carolina School for Inquiry do on state tests?
The students tested at Carolina School for Inquiry scored proficient or above: 30-39% in reading in 2021-22 and 20-29% in math in 2022-23, against 52.1% in reading in 2021-22 and 43% in math in 2022-23 across South Carolina. South Carolina's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22 and 2022-23; ED publishes school results as ranges to protect small groups.What district is Carolina School for Inquiry in?
Richland 01, NCES district ID 4503360. The first seven digits of the school's NCES ID 450336001463 are the district's.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22 and 2022-23: reading and math proficiency for the school, its district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: Civil Rights Data Collection School-level files (AP, gifted, counselors, discipline) · 2021-22
District spending on the district page is from the NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23.