Enrollment
1,222
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Central, SC
D. W. Daniel High
Federal NCES profile for D. W. Daniel High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 450333000899
👥 S:T ratio 22
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
D. W. Daniel High earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of South Carolina schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Central · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 19.4:1
- large classes for South Carolina
- 45.9%
- free-lunch eligible
D. W. Daniel High has class sizes larger than 95% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, D. W. Daniel High ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Central, SC.
School address
District: Pickens 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450333000899 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
63.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.4:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.9%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How D. W. Daniel High compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at D. W. Daniel High
D. W. Daniel High is a large high school in Central, South Carolina, enrolling 1,222 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.4:1 is larger than about 95% of South Carolina schools and 36% above the 14.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 45.9% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in South Carolina, bigger than 92% of state schools at 1,222 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Among 112 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #91, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and African American (10%) (diversity index 43/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 27 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 407 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Pickens 01 spends $10,622 per pupil, 27% below the South Carolina average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Pickens 01 also operates Easley High (1,862 students) and Pickens High (1,226 students) alongside D. W. Daniel High.
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 D. W. Daniel High compares
D. W. Daniel High 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 | 19.4:1 | ▲ 36% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.9% | ▼ 38% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,222 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.4:1
Leaner classes than 18% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,222
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
45.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
19.4:1
students per teacher
- 36% above state mean
Top 95% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.2%
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
$10,622
per pupil, district-wide
- below South Carolina avg of $14,558
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 407 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
86
in-school suspensions + 42 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
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 74.1%
African American 9.9%
Hispanic or Latino 6.1%
Two or More 5.2%
Asian 4.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 74.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.3, D. W. Daniel High is less mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 27
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pickens 01, which includes D. W. Daniel High.
$10,622
Per student
-27%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.4%
State 47.7%
Federal 14.9%
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.
How D. W. Daniel High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pickens High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Richard H. Gettys Middle | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| R. C. Edwards Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Clemson Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to D. W. Daniel High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,862
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,226
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,217
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 835
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 794
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar high 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 (~1,222 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on D. W. Daniel High's federal record.
- Compare D. W. Daniel High against another school. Compare schools
- Pickens 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 D. W. Daniel High
How many students attend D. W. Daniel High?
D. W. Daniel High has 1,222 students enrolled. It is a high school in Central, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at D. W. Daniel High?
The student-teacher ratio at D. W. Daniel High is 19.4:1, which is 36% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 24% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at D. W. Daniel High?
45.9% of students at D. W. Daniel High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of D. W. Daniel High?
The largest demographic group at D. W. Daniel High is White at 74.1% of enrollment, in Central, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for D. W. Daniel High?
D. W. Daniel High has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does D. W. Daniel High rank among public schools in Central?
By Resource Investment Index, D. W. Daniel High ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Central, 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 Central on the city page.
Is D. W. Daniel High a good school?
D. W. Daniel High earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% 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 Pickens 01?
Besides D. W. Daniel High, Pickens 01 also operates Easley High (1,862 students), Pickens High (1,226 students), and Richard H. Gettys Middle (1,217 students). See the Pickens 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.