Enrollment
359
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bishopville, SC
Dennis Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Dennis Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450267000709
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dennis Elementary earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of South Carolina schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most South Carolina schools.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Bishopville · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Dennis Elementary has class sizes smaller than 79% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dennis Elementary ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Bishopville, SC.
School address
District: Lee 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450267000709 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dennis Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dennis Elementary
Dennis Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Bishopville, South Carolina, enrolling 359 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12:1 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
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 359 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Among 299 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #23, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 14/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 359 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
12.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 27.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Bishopville's public schools, it stands alongside Pee Dee Math Sci & Tech (205 students): Dennis Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12:1 vs 14.6:1).
Lee 01 also operates Lee Central High (402 students) and Lee Central Middle (288 students) alongside Dennis 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 Dennis Elementary compares
Dennis 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 | 12:1 | ▼ 16% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 359 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
359
Bigger than 41% 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
12:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 21% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
12.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$17,017
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 359 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 29 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.6 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 92.7%
White 3.9%
Hispanic or Latino 1.7%
Two or More 1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 92.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.9, Dennis 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 Lee 01, which includes Dennis Elementary.
$17,017
Per student
+17%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.8%
State 45.2%
Federal 27.0%
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 Dennis Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Central High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lee Central Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lower Lee Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| West Lee Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dennis Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 402
- Students per teacher
- 9.1:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 288
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 128
- Students per teacher
- 6.7:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 98
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Resource Index
- 66/100
Similar other schools in Bishopville
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~359 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dennis Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Dennis Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Lee 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 Dennis Elementary
How many students attend Dennis Elementary?
Dennis Elementary has 359 students enrolled. It is a public school in Bishopville, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dennis Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Dennis Elementary is 12:1, which is 16% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 24% 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 Dennis Elementary?
100.0% of students at Dennis Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dennis Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Dennis Elementary is African American at 92.7% of enrollment, in Bishopville, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dennis Elementary?
Dennis Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher 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 Dennis Elementary rank among public schools in Bishopville?
By Resource Investment Index, Dennis Elementary ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Bishopville, 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 Bishopville on the city page.
Is Dennis Elementary a good school?
Dennis Elementary earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of South Carolina schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Lee 01?
Besides Dennis Elementary, Lee 01 also operates Lee Central High (402 students), Lee Central Middle (288 students), and Lower Lee Elementary (128 students). See the Lee 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.