Enrollment
241
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Suite 200, SC
East Link Academy
Federal NCES profile for East Link Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 450390101696Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
East Link Academy earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of South Carolina schools.
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.1:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 17.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 241
- students enrolled
East Link Academy has class sizes smaller than 78% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Sc Public Charter School District · South Carolina
NCES ID 450390101696 Verify on 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
What stands out at East Link Academy
East Link Academy is a lower-poverty, small charter elementary school in Suite 200, South Carolina, enrolling 241 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 17.4% free-meal eligibility runs 76% below the South Carolina average.
Enrollment of 241 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.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Sc Public Charter School District spends $22,523 per pupil, 55% above the South Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Sc Public Charter School District also operates York Preparatory Academy (1,672 students) and Legacy Early College (1,592 students) alongside East Link Academy.
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 East Link Academy compares
East Link Academy 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 | 12.1:1 | ▼ 15% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.4% | ▼ 76% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 241 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.1:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
241
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
17.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 76% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.1:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 22% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
29.9%
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
$22,523
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially 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
- 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sc Public Charter School District, which includes East Link Academy.
$22,523
Per student
+55%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
+36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How East Link Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| York Preparatory Academy | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Legacy Early College | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bridges Preparatory School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| High Point Academy | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Green Charter School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to East Link Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,672
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 1,592
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,472
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,208
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 998
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar elementary 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 (~241 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on East Link Academy's federal record.
- Compare East Link Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Sc Public Charter School District'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 East Link Academy
How many students attend East Link Academy?
East Link Academy has 241 students enrolled. It is an 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 23% 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 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 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is East Link Academy a good school?
East Link Academy earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% 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 Sc Public Charter School District?
Besides East Link Academy, Sc Public Charter School District also operates York Preparatory Academy (1,672 students), Legacy Early College (1,592 students), and Bridges Preparatory School (1,472 students). See the Sc Public Charter School District district page for the complete list.
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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.