Enrollment
311
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Winnsboro, SC
Fairfield Middle
Federal NCES profile for Fairfield Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 450210000421
👥 S:T ratio 69
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 41
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fairfield Middle earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of South Carolina schools.
- #3 of 6
- public schools in Winnsboro · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 7.8:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Fairfield Middle has class sizes smaller than 97% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Fairfield Middle ranks #3 of 6 public schools in Winnsboro, SC.
School address
District: Fairfield 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450210000421 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.8:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-45% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fairfield Middle compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fairfield Middle
Fairfield Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Winnsboro, South Carolina, enrolling 311 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.8:1, Fairfield Middle is leaner than roughly 97% of South Carolina schools and 45% under the state's 14.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
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 311 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.
Against 257 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #37.
Its student body is predominantly African American (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 311 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Fairfield 01 spends $22,286 per pupil, 53% above the South Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 16.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 213 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 311 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 10 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Fairfield 01 also operates Fairfield Central High (619 students) and Fairfield Elementary (418 students) alongside Fairfield Middle.
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 Fairfield Middle compares
Fairfield Middle 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 | 7.8:1 | ▼ 45% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 311 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.8:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
311
Bigger than 34% 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
7.8:1
students per teacher
- 45% below state mean
Top 3% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
23.8%
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
$22,286
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 311 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
97
in-school suspensions + 116 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 31.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 68.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 10 expulsions.
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 81.4%
White 9.0%
Hispanic or Latino 5.1%
Two or More 3.5%
Asian 1.0%
Largest group: African American at 81.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.5, Fairfield Middle is less mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fairfield 01, which includes Fairfield Middle.
$22,286
Per student
+53%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
+34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.9%
State 30.4%
Federal 16.7%
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 Fairfield Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield Central High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fairfield Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Geiger Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kelly Miller Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fairfield Magnet for Math and Science | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fairfield Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 619
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 418
- Students per teacher
- 9.1:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 262
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 199
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- Enrollment
- 188
- Students per teacher
- 7.8:1
- Resource Index
- 75/100
Similar middle 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 (~311 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~7.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fairfield Middle's federal record.
- Compare Fairfield Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Fairfield 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 Fairfield Middle
How many students attend Fairfield Middle?
Fairfield Middle has 311 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Winnsboro, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fairfield Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Fairfield Middle is 7.8:1, which is 45% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 50% 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 Fairfield Middle?
100.0% of students at Fairfield Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fairfield Middle?
The largest demographic group at Fairfield Middle is African American at 81.4% of enrollment, in Winnsboro, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fairfield Middle?
Fairfield Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (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 Fairfield Middle rank among public schools in Winnsboro?
By Resource Investment Index, Fairfield Middle ranks #3 of 6 public schools in Winnsboro, 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 Winnsboro on the city page.
Is Fairfield Middle a good school?
Fairfield Middle earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% 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 Fairfield 01?
Besides Fairfield Middle, Fairfield 01 also operates Fairfield Central High (619 students), Fairfield Elementary (418 students), and Geiger Elementary (262 students). See the Fairfield 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.