Enrollment
174
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Ridgeville, SC
Clay Hill Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Clay Hill Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450000201600
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 14
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Clay Hill Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median.
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.5:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 174
- students enrolled
Clay Hill Elementary has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Dorchester 04 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450000201600 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Clay Hill Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Clay Hill Elementary
Clay Hill Elementary is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Ridgeville, South Carolina, enrolling 174 students.
At 14.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the South Carolina median, within a few percentage points of the 14.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
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.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 94% of South Carolina schools, with 174 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 75 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #48.
Its student body is led by African American (44%) and White (26%) (diversity index 71/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 174 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Dorchester 04 spends $17,578 per pupil, 21% above the South Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 22.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Dorchester 04 also operates Woodland High (680 students) and William Memorial Elementary (553 students) alongside Clay Hill 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 Clay Hill Elementary compares
Clay Hill 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 | 14.5:1 | ▲ 1% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 174 | top 94% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
174
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
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
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 57% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
34.5%
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
$17,578
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 174 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 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 43.7%
White 25.9%
Hispanic or Latino 13.2%
Two or More 13.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.4%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: African American at 43.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.6, Clay Hill 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 Dorchester 04, which includes Clay Hill Elementary.
$17,578
Per student
+21%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.1%
State 39.1%
Federal 22.8%
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 Clay Hill Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| William Memorial Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| St. George Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Harleyville Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Harleyville-Ridgeville Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Clay Hill Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 680
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 553
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 282
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 248
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 169
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
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 (~174 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Clay Hill Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Clay Hill Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Dorchester 04'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 Clay Hill Elementary
How many students attend Clay Hill Elementary?
Clay Hill Elementary has 174 students enrolled. It is a public school in Ridgeville, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Clay Hill Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Clay Hill Elementary is 14.5:1, which is 1% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Clay Hill Elementary?
100.0% of students at Clay Hill Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Clay Hill Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Clay Hill Elementary is African American at 43.7% of enrollment, in Ridgeville, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Clay Hill Elementary?
Clay Hill Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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).
Is Clay Hill Elementary a good school?
Clay Hill Elementary earns 48/100 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 Dorchester 04?
Besides Clay Hill Elementary, Dorchester 04 also operates Woodland High (680 students), William Memorial Elementary (553 students), and St. George Middle (282 students). See the Dorchester 04 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.