Enrollment
977
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cayce, SC
Cayce Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Cayce Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450273001678
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 2
📋 Attendance 11
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cayce Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Cayce · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Cayce Elementary has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cayce Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Cayce, SC.
School address
District: Lexington 02 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450273001678 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
75.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cayce Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cayce Elementary
Cayce Elementary is a high-poverty, large combined-grade school in Cayce, South Carolina, enrolling 977 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13:1 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.
Enrollment of 977 puts it in the larger third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 91% of the 1,214 South Carolina schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 149 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #120, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (46%) and Hispanic or Latino (26%) (diversity index 68/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 489 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 269 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 977 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Lexington 02 also operates Airport High (1,272 students) and Brookland-Cayce High (1,212 students) alongside Cayce 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 Cayce Elementary compares
Cayce 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 | 13:1 | ▼ 9% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 977 | top 14% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
977
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
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
13:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 35% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
35.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,320
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 489 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
125
in-school suspensions + 144 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.5 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 45.9%
Hispanic or Latino 25.6%
White 19.2%
Two or More 4.6%
Asian 4.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 45.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.3, Cayce 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 Lexington 02, which includes Cayce Elementary.
$14,320
Per student
-2%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.1%
State 41.7%
Federal 17.2%
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 Cayce Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airport High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Brookland-Cayce High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Riverbank Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Herbert a. Wood Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Northside Middle | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cayce Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,272
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,212
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 996
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 938
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
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 (~977 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cayce Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Cayce Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Lexington 02'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 Cayce Elementary
How many students attend Cayce Elementary?
Cayce Elementary has 977 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cayce, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cayce Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cayce Elementary is 13:1, which is 9% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 17% 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 Cayce Elementary?
100.0% of students at Cayce Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cayce Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cayce Elementary is African American at 45.9% of enrollment, in Cayce, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cayce Elementary?
Cayce Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Cayce Elementary rank among public schools in Cayce?
By Resource Investment Index, Cayce Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Cayce, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Cayce on the city page.
Is Cayce Elementary a good school?
Cayce Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median. 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 Lexington 02?
Besides Cayce Elementary, Lexington 02 also operates Airport High (1,272 students), Brookland-Cayce High (1,212 students), and Riverbank Elementary (996 students). See the Lexington 02 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.