Enrollment
1,102
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 450144000083
Charleston School of the Arts — North Charleston, SC
Federal NCES profile for Charleston School of the Arts, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 55/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 65
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: Charleston 01 · 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)
71.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.6%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Charleston School of the Arts 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
Charleston School of the Arts reports 1,102 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 71.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 20.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 72% below the South Carolina average and 60% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 276 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Charleston 01 spends $20,688 per pupil district-wide, above the South Carolina average of $17,182 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 59.0% from local sources (property taxes), 27.7% from the state, and 13.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C), 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 Charleston School of the Arts 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 | 14.9:1 | ▲ 4% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.6% | ▼ 72% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,102 | top 89% | — | — |
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
20.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 72% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.9:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 61% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
14.1%
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
$20,688
per pupil, district-wide
— above South Carolina avg of $17,182
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 276 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 40 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 1,102 Top 89% in South Carolina — larger than 11% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 71.0
Students per teacher 14.9:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 20.6% -72% vs state
NCES ID 450144000083
Student demographics
White 70.0%
African American 11.9%
Hispanic or Latino 8.9%
Two or More 5.4%
Asian 3.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 70.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 19
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 276:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.1%
In-school suspensions 17
Out-of-school suspensions 40
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Charleston 01, which includes Charleston School of the Arts.
$20,688
Per student
+20%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,588
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,135
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,069
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,757
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 1,612
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
Similar other schools in North Charleston
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Meeting Street Elementary
Standard public school
1,133 students 8.1:1 students per teacher
A. C. Corcoran Elementary
Standard public school
743 students 15:1 students per teacher
Eagle Nest Elementary
Standard public school
653 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Windsor Hill Arts Infused Elementary
Standard public school
622 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Lambs Elementary
Standard public school
580 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Matilda F. Dunston Elementary
Standard public school
569 students 12.8:1 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 Charleston School of the Arts
How many students attend Charleston School of the Arts?
Charleston School of the Arts has 1,102 students enrolled. It is a other school in North Charleston, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Charleston School of the Arts?
The student-teacher ratio at Charleston School of the Arts is 14.9:1, which is 4% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Charleston School of the Arts?
20.6% of students at Charleston School of the Arts are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Charleston School of the Arts?
The largest demographic group at Charleston School of the Arts is White at 70.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in North Charleston, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Charleston School of the Arts?
Charleston School of the Arts has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.