Enrollment
636
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 450339001572
Catawba Trail Elementary — Elgin, SC
Federal NCES profile for Catawba Trail Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 68
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: Richland 02 · 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)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.4%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Catawba Trail 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
Catawba Trail Elementary reports 636 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 41.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 59.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 20% below the South Carolina average and 15% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 636 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Richland 02 spends $18,376 per pupil district-wide, above the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 42.0% from local sources (property taxes), 47.7% from the state, and 10.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Catawba Trail 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 | 14.4:1 | ▲ 1% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.4% | ▼ 20% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 636 | top 61% | — | — |
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
59.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 20% below 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
14.4:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 54% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
12.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$18,376
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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 636 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 636 Top 61% in South Carolina — larger than 39% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 41.0
Students per teacher 14.4:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 59.4% -20% vs state
NCES ID 450339001572
Student demographics
African American 47.3%
Hispanic or Latino 28.2%
White 17.2%
Two or More 5.3%
Asian 2.1%
Largest group: African American at 47.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 636:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.7%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richland 02, which includes Catawba Trail Elementary.
$18,376
Per student
+7%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 42.0%
State 47.7%
Federal 10.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,230
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,164
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,743
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,631
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,340
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
Similar other schools in Elgin
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Pontiac Elementary
Standard public school
880 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Blaney Elementary
Standard public school
750 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Bridge Creek Elementary
Standard public school
564 students 13:1 students per teacher
Bookman Road Elementary
Standard public school
535 students 11.9:1 students per teacher
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 Catawba Trail Elementary
How many students attend Catawba Trail Elementary?
Catawba Trail Elementary has 636 students enrolled. It is a other school in Elgin, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Catawba Trail Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Catawba Trail Elementary is 14.4:1, which is 1% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Catawba Trail Elementary?
59.4% of students at Catawba Trail Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Catawba Trail Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Catawba Trail Elementary is African American at 47.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Elgin, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Catawba Trail Elementary?
Catawba Trail Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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.