Enrollment
423
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Laurens, SC
Ford Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Ford Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450261000693
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ford Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median.
- #3 of 3
- schools in Laurens · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.8:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Ford Elementary has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ford Elementary ranks #3 of 3 schools in Laurens, SC.
School address
District: Laurens 55 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450261000693 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ford Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ford Elementary
Ford Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Laurens, South Carolina, enrolling 423 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.8:1 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.
Enrollment of 423 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 348 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #226.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (44%) and White (29%) (diversity index 67/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 423 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 20.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Laurens's public schools, it stands alongside Laurens Elementary (465 students): Ford Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.8:1 vs 12.9:1).
Laurens 55 also operates Laurens District 55 High (1,434 students) and Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle (715 students) alongside Ford 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 Ford Elementary compares
Ford 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 10% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 423 | top 67% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
423
Bigger than 51% 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 31% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.0%
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
$13,000
per pupil, district-wide
- below South Carolina avg of $14,558
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 423 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
41
in-school suspensions + 31 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.0 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.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 44.0%
White 28.6%
African American 22.0%
Two or More 5.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 44.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.3, Ford 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 Laurens 55, which includes Ford Elementary.
$13,000
Per student
-11%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.9%
State 49.5%
Federal 20.6%
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 Ford Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laurens District 55 High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Laurens Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| E. B. Morse Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ford Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,434
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 715
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 623
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 447
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar other schools in Laurens
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~423 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ford Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Ford Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Laurens 55'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 Ford Elementary
How many students attend Ford Elementary?
Ford Elementary has 423 students enrolled. It is a public school in Laurens, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ford Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Ford Elementary is 12.8:1, which is 10% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 18% 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 Ford Elementary?
100.0% of students at Ford Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ford Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Ford Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 44.0% of enrollment, in Laurens, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ford Elementary?
Ford Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical 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 Ford Elementary rank among schools in Laurens?
By Resource Investment Index, Ford Elementary ranks #3 of 3 schools in Laurens, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Laurens on the city page.
Is Ford Elementary a good school?
Ford Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median. 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 Laurens 55?
Besides Ford Elementary, Laurens 55 also operates Laurens District 55 High (1,434 students), Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle (715 students), and Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle (623 students). See the Laurens 55 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.