Enrollment
965
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 450186000095
Darlington High — Darlington, SC
Federal NCES profile for Darlington High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 42
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 15
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: Darlington 01 · 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)
73.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
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 Darlington High 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
Darlington High reports 965 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 73.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% above the South Carolina average and 93% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 241 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 34.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Darlington 01 spends $17,417 per pupil district-wide, above the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.6% from local sources (property taxes), 40.1% from the state, and 21.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Darlington High 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 | 14.4:1 | ▲ 1% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 965 | top 86% | — | — |
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
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
14.4:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 54% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
34.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,417
per pupil, district-wide
— above South Carolina avg of $17,182
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 241 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
382
in-school suspensions + 194 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 39.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 59.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 965 Top 86% in South Carolina — larger than 14% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 73.0
Students per teacher 14.4:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +35% vs state
NCES ID 450186000095
Student demographics
African American 63.5%
White 19.6%
Two or More 11.6%
Hispanic or Latino 4.8%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 63.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 241:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 34.1%
In-school suspensions 382
Out-of-school suspensions 194
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Darlington 01, which includes Darlington High.
$17,417
Per student
+1%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.6%
State 40.1%
Federal 21.4%
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
- 1,129
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 888
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 801
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
Similar high schools in Darlington
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 Darlington High
How many students attend Darlington High?
Darlington High has 965 students enrolled. It is a high school in Darlington, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Darlington High?
The student-teacher ratio at Darlington High is 14.4:1, which is 1% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Darlington High?
100.0% of students at Darlington High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Darlington High?
The largest demographic group at Darlington High is African American at 63.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Darlington, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Darlington High?
Darlington High has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 5 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.