Enrollment
801
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 450201000715
Fort Dorchester Elementary — Summerville, SC
Federal NCES profile for Fort Dorchester Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 57
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: Dorchester 02 · 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)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.4%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fort Dorchester Elementary 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
Fort Dorchester Elementary reports 801 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 60.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% above the South Carolina state mean of 14.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 43.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% below the South Carolina average and 16% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 401 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dorchester 02 spends $13,014 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.4% from local sources (property taxes), 53.8% from the state, and 13.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Fort Dorchester Elementary 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 | 14.9:1 | ▲ 4% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.4% | ▼ 41% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 801 | top 77% | — | — |
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
43.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% below 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
14.9:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 61% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
17.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$13,014
per pupil, district-wide
— below South Carolina avg of $17,182
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 401 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
39
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 801 Top 77% in South Carolina — larger than 23% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 60.0
Students per teacher 14.9:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 43.4% -41% vs state
NCES ID 450201000715
Student demographics
White 41.2%
African American 27.1%
Hispanic or Latino 16.4%
Two or More 8.6%
Asian 6.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 41.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 401:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.0%
In-school suspensions 39
Out-of-school suspensions 21
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dorchester 02, which includes Fort Dorchester Elementary.
$13,014
Per student
-24%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.4%
State 53.8%
Federal 13.8%
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
- 3,361
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,599
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,344
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,169
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 1,079
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
Similar other schools in Summerville
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Sand Hill Elementary
Standard public school
1,169 students 18:1 students per teacher
Cane Bay Elementary
Standard public school
1,161 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Beech Hill Elementary
Standard public school
1,079 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Nexton Elementary
Standard public school
944 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
William M. Reeves Elementary
Standard public school
930 students 16:1 students per teacher
Newington Elementary
Standard public school
862 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
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 Fort Dorchester Elementary
How many students attend Fort Dorchester Elementary?
Fort Dorchester Elementary has 801 students enrolled. It is a other school in Summerville, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fort Dorchester Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Fort Dorchester Elementary is 14.9:1, which is 4% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Fort Dorchester Elementary?
43.4% of students at Fort Dorchester Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fort Dorchester Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Fort Dorchester Elementary is White at 41.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Summerville, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fort Dorchester Elementary?
Fort Dorchester Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.