Enrollment
424
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Charleston, SC
Charleston Advancement Academy High School
Federal NCES profile for Charleston Advancement Academy High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 14/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 450390101706Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 15
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Charleston Advancement Academy High School earns 14/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of South Carolina schools.
- #5 of 5
- high schools in Charleston · Resource Index
- 14
- Resource Index · Lower
- 38.5:1
- large classes for South Carolina
- 45.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Charleston Advancement Academy High School has class sizes larger than 99% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Charleston Advancement Academy High School ranks #5 of 5 high schools in Charleston, SC.
School address
District: Sc Public Charter School District · South Carolina
NCES ID 450390101706 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
38.5:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+169% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.5%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Charleston Advancement Academy High School compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Charleston Advancement Academy High School
Charleston Advancement Academy High School is a mid-sized charter high school in Charleston, South Carolina, enrolling 424 students.
Class loads run heavy: 38.5:1 is larger than about 99% of South Carolina schools and 169% above the 14.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 45.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 424 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 100% of the 1,214 South Carolina schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 61 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #61, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 424 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
The surrounding Sc Public Charter School District spends $22,523 per pupil, 55% above the South Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Charleston's high schools, it stands alongside West Ashley High (2,069 students): Charleston Advancement Academy High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (38.5:1 vs 18.6:1).
Sc Public Charter School District also operates York Preparatory Academy (1,672 students) and Legacy Early College (1,592 students) alongside Charleston Advancement Academy High School.
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 Charleston Advancement Academy High School compares
Charleston Advancement Academy High School 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 | 38.5:1 | ▲ 169% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.5% | ▼ 39% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 424 | top 67% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
38.5:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
424
Bigger than 51% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
45.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 39% 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
38.5:1
students per teacher
- 169% above state mean
Top 99% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$22,523
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 424 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sc Public Charter School District, which includes Charleston Advancement Academy High School.
$22,523
Per student
+55%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
+36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 5.8%
State 80.6%
Federal 13.6%
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 Charleston Advancement Academy High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| York Preparatory Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Legacy Early College | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bridges Preparatory School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| High Point Academy | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Green Charter School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Charleston Advancement Academy High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,672
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 1,592
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,472
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,208
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 998
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar high schools in Charleston
4 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
West Ashley High
Standard public school
2,069 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
James Island Charter High
Standard public school
1,612 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Philip Simmons High
Standard public school
797 students 15:1 students per teacher
Burke High
Standard public school
342 students 5.8:1 students per teacher
Similar high 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 (~424 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~38.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Charleston Advancement Academy High School's federal record.
- Compare Charleston Advancement Academy High School against another school. Compare schools
- Sc Public Charter School District'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 Charleston Advancement Academy High School
How many students attend Charleston Advancement Academy High School?
Charleston Advancement Academy High School has 424 students enrolled. It is a high school in Charleston, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Charleston Advancement Academy High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Charleston Advancement Academy High School is 38.5:1, which is 169% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 145% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Charleston Advancement Academy High School?
45.5% of students at Charleston Advancement Academy High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Charleston Advancement Academy High School?
Charleston Advancement Academy High School has a Resource Investment Index of 14/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Charleston Advancement Academy High School rank among high schools in Charleston?
By Resource Investment Index, Charleston Advancement Academy High School ranks #5 of 5 high schools in Charleston, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Charleston on the city page.
Is Charleston Advancement Academy High School a good school?
Charleston Advancement Academy High School earns 14/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% 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 Sc Public Charter School District?
Besides Charleston Advancement Academy High School, Sc Public Charter School District also operates York Preparatory Academy (1,672 students), Legacy Early College (1,592 students), and Bridges Preparatory School (1,472 students). See the Sc Public Charter School District district page for the complete list.
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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.