Enrollment
241
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 450390101696 Charter school
East Link Academy — Suite 200, SC
Federal NCES profile for East Link Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 25
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: Sc Public Charter School District · 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.4%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-76% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How East Link Academy 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
East Link Academy reports 241 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% below the South Carolina state mean of 14.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 24% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 17.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 76% below the South Carolina average and 66% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 29.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sc Public Charter School District spends $25,770 per pupil district-wide, above the South Carolina average of $17,182 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 5.8% from local sources (property taxes), 80.6% from the state, and 13.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), 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 East Link Academy 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 | 12.1:1 | ▼ 15% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.4% | ▼ 76% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 241 | top 11% | — | — |
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
17.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 76% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.1:1
students per teacher
— 15% below state mean
Top 21% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
29.9%
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
$25,770
per pupil, district-wide
— above South Carolina avg of $17,182
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 241 Top 11% in South Carolina — larger than 89% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 12.1:1 -15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 17.4% -76% vs state
NCES ID 450390101696
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 29.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sc Public Charter School District, which includes East Link Academy.
$25,770
Per student
+50%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
+32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 5.8%
State 80.6%
Federal 13.6%
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
- 1,672
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,592
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,472
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,208
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 998
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
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 East Link Academy
How many students attend East Link Academy?
East Link Academy has 241 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Suite 200, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at East Link Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at East Link Academy is 12.1:1, which is 15% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 24% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at East Link Academy?
17.4% of students at East Link Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for East Link Academy?
East Link Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) 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.