Enrollment
460
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cowpens, SC
Cowpens Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Cowpens Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450354001005
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cowpens Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.5:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 460
- students enrolled
Cowpens Elementary has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Spartanburg 03 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450354001005 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cowpens Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cowpens Elementary
Cowpens Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Cowpens, South Carolina, enrolling 460 students.
At 13.5:1, 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.
With 460 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 370 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #170.
Its student body is led by White (64%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 460 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Spartanburg 03 also operates Broome High (865 students) and Clifdale Middle (605 students) alongside Cowpens 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 Cowpens Elementary compares
Cowpens 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 6% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 460 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
460
Bigger than 56% 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
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 42% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.4%
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
$14,293
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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 460 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.1 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
White 63.7%
Hispanic or Latino 17.4%
African American 12.0%
Two or More 6.7%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 63.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.5, Cowpens Elementary is about as mixed as the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spartanburg 03, which includes Cowpens Elementary.
$14,293
Per student
-2%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.0%
State 48.5%
Federal 14.5%
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 Cowpens Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broome High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clifdale Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pacolet Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cannons Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cowpens Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 865
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 605
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 429
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 389
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
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 (~460 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cowpens Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Cowpens Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Spartanburg 03'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 Cowpens Elementary
How many students attend Cowpens Elementary?
Cowpens Elementary has 460 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cowpens, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cowpens Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cowpens Elementary is 13.5:1, which is 6% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 14% 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 Cowpens Elementary?
100.0% of students at Cowpens Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cowpens Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cowpens Elementary is White at 63.7% of enrollment, in Cowpens, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cowpens Elementary?
Cowpens Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Cowpens Elementary a good school?
Cowpens Elementary earns 43/100 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 Spartanburg 03?
Besides Cowpens Elementary, Spartanburg 03 also operates Broome High (865 students), Clifdale Middle (605 students), and Pacolet Elementary (429 students). See the Spartanburg 03 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.