Enrollment
165
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Wadmalaw Island, SC
Edith L. Frierson Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Edith L. Frierson Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450144000225
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 27
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Edith L. Frierson Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of South Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in South Carolina.
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.7:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 165
- students enrolled
Edith L. Frierson Elementary has class sizes smaller than 70% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Charleston 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450144000225 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Edith L. Frierson Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Edith L. Frierson Elementary
Edith L. Frierson Elementary is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina, enrolling 165 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.7:1 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.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 95% of South Carolina schools, with 165 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 68 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #40.
Its student body is led by White (49%) and African American (27%) (diversity index 66/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Charleston 01 also operates Wando High (2,588 students) and Rb Stall High (2,135 students) alongside Edith L. Frierson 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 Edith L. Frierson Elementary compares
Edith L. Frierson 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 | 12.7:1 | ▼ 11% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 165 | top 95% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
165
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
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
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 30% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
29.1%
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
$15,213
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Somewhat 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
5
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.4 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
White 49.1%
African American 27.3%
Two or More 12.1%
Hispanic or Latino 11.5%
Largest group: White at 49.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.7, Edith L. Frierson Elementary is more mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Charleston 01, which includes Edith L. Frierson Elementary.
$15,213
Per student
+4%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 59.0%
State 27.7%
Federal 13.3%
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 Edith L. Frierson Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wando High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rb Stall High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Ashley High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lucy Garrett Beckham High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James Island Charter High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Edith L. Frierson Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,588
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,135
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,069
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,757
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,612
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
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 (~165 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Edith L. Frierson Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Edith L. Frierson Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Charleston 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 Edith L. Frierson Elementary
How many students attend Edith L. Frierson Elementary?
Edith L. Frierson Elementary has 165 students enrolled. It is a public school in Wadmalaw Island, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Edith L. Frierson Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Edith L. Frierson Elementary is 12.7:1, which is 11% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 19% 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 Edith L. Frierson Elementary?
100.0% of students at Edith L. Frierson Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Edith L. Frierson Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Edith L. Frierson Elementary is White at 49.1% of enrollment, in Wadmalaw Island, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Edith L. Frierson Elementary?
Edith L. Frierson Elementary 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 Edith L. Frierson Elementary a good school?
Edith L. Frierson Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of South Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in South Carolina. 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 Charleston 01?
Besides Edith L. Frierson Elementary, Charleston 01 also operates Wando High (2,588 students), Rb Stall High (2,135 students), and West Ashley High (2,069 students). See the Charleston 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.