Enrollment
146
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 450258000556 Charter school
Discovery Charter of Lancaster — Lancaster, SC
Federal NCES profile for Discovery Charter of Lancaster, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 55/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 59
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: Lancaster 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)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.8%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Discovery Charter of Lancaster 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
Discovery Charter of Lancaster reports 146 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 7.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% 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 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 51.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 30% below the South Carolina average and 0% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lancaster 01 spends $14,178 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.3% from local sources (property taxes), 46.8% from the state, and 16.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C), calculated from 3 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 Discovery Charter of Lancaster 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 | 16.3:1 | ▲ 14% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.8% | ▼ 30% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 146 | top 5% | — | — |
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
51.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 30% 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
16.3:1
students per teacher
— 14% above state mean
Top 80% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$14,178
per pupil, district-wide
— below South Carolina avg of $17,182
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 146 Top 5% in South Carolina — larger than 95% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 7.0
Students per teacher 16.3:1 +14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 51.8% -30% vs state
NCES ID 450258000556
Student demographics
White 43.8%
African American 32.2%
Hispanic or Latino 19.9%
Two or More 3.4%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 43.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.4%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lancaster 01, which includes Discovery Charter of Lancaster.
$14,178
Per student
-17%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.3%
State 46.8%
Federal 16.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,905
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,390
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,181
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,161
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,102
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
Similar elementary schools in Lancaster
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) 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 Discovery Charter of Lancaster
How many students attend Discovery Charter of Lancaster?
Discovery Charter of Lancaster has 146 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Lancaster, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Discovery Charter of Lancaster?
The student-teacher ratio at Discovery Charter of Lancaster is 16.3:1, which is 14% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Discovery Charter of Lancaster?
51.8% of students at Discovery Charter of Lancaster are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Discovery Charter of Lancaster?
The largest demographic group at Discovery Charter of Lancaster is White at 43.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lancaster, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Discovery Charter of Lancaster?
Discovery Charter of Lancaster has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.