Enrollment
316
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · North Charleston, SC
Chicora Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Chicora Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 450144000197
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Chicora Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of South Carolina schools.
- #17 of 30
- public schools in North Charleston · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.6:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Chicora Elementary has class sizes smaller than 93% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Chicora Elementary ranks #17 of 30 public schools in North Charleston, SC.
School address
District: Charleston 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450144000197 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.6:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chicora Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Chicora Elementary
Chicora Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in North Charleston, South Carolina, enrolling 316 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.6:1, Chicora Elementary is leaner than roughly 93% of South Carolina schools and 33% under the state's 14.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
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 316 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 257 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #159.
Its student body is predominantly African American (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 316 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 44.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 92 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 316 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among North Charleston's elementary schools, it stands alongside Pinehurst Elementary (758 students): Chicora Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.6:1 vs 13.3:1).
Charleston 01 also operates Wando High (2,588 students) and Rb Stall High (2,135 students) alongside Chicora 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 Chicora Elementary compares
Chicora 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 | 9.6:1 | ▼ 33% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 316 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.6:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
316
Bigger than 35% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
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
9.6:1
students per teacher
- 33% below state mean
Top 7% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
44.9%
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
$15,213
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 316 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
27
in-school suspensions + 65 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 29.1 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 80.6%
Hispanic or Latino 15.9%
Two or More 1.9%
White 1.3%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 80.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.5, Chicora Elementary is less mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Charleston 01, which includes Chicora Elementary.
$15,213
Per student
+4%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Chicora Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wando High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rb Stall High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Ashley High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lucy Garrett Beckham High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James Island Charter High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Chicora Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,588
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,135
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,069
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,757
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,612
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar elementary schools in North Charleston
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~316 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Chicora Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Chicora Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Charleston 01'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 Chicora Elementary
How many students attend Chicora Elementary?
Chicora Elementary has 316 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in North Charleston, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chicora Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Chicora Elementary is 9.6:1, which is 33% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 39% 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 Chicora Elementary?
100.0% of students at Chicora Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chicora Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Chicora Elementary is African American at 80.6% of enrollment, in North Charleston, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chicora Elementary?
Chicora Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Chicora Elementary rank among public schools in North Charleston?
By Resource Investment Index, Chicora Elementary ranks #17 of 30 public schools in North Charleston, 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 North Charleston on the city page.
Is Chicora Elementary a good school?
Chicora Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% 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 Charleston 01?
Besides Chicora Elementary, Charleston 01 also operates Wando High (2,588 students), Rb Stall High (2,135 students), and West Ashley High (2,069 students). See the Charleston 01 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.