Enrollment
360
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 450069000065
Cherokee Trail Elementary — Donalds, SC
Federal NCES profile for Cherokee Trail Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 54
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: Abbeville 60 · 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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.4%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cherokee 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
Cherokee Trail Elementary reports 360 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% 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: 66.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 10% below the South Carolina average and 28% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 360 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Abbeville 60 spends $20,782 per pupil district-wide, above the South Carolina average of $17,182 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.1% from local sources (property taxes), 48.0% from the state, and 26.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Cherokee 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 | 15:1 | ▲ 5% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.4% | ▼ 10% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 360 | top 24% | — | — |
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
66.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 10% 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
15:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 63% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
18.3%
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
$20,782
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 360 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 360 Top 24% in South Carolina — larger than 76% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 15:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 66.4% -10% vs state
NCES ID 450069000065
Student demographics
White 82.5%
African American 10.3%
Hispanic or Latino 3.6%
Two or More 3.3%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 82.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 360:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.3%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 24
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Abbeville 60, which includes Cherokee Trail Elementary.
$20,782
Per student
+21%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.1%
State 48.0%
Federal 26.9%
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
- 565
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 463
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 368
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 323
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Enrollment
- 296
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
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 Cherokee Trail Elementary
How many students attend Cherokee Trail Elementary?
Cherokee Trail Elementary has 360 students enrolled. It is a other school in Donalds, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cherokee Trail Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cherokee Trail Elementary is 15:1, which is 5% 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 Cherokee Trail Elementary?
66.4% of students at Cherokee Trail Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cherokee Trail Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cherokee Trail Elementary is White at 82.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Donalds, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cherokee Trail Elementary?
Cherokee Trail Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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.