Enrollment
133
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Gadsden, SC
Gadsden Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Gadsden Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 69/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450336000918
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 73
📋 Attendance 72
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gadsden Elementary earns 69/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of South Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in South Carolina.
- 69
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.2:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 133
- students enrolled
Gadsden Elementary has class sizes smaller than 91% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Richland 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450336000918 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.2:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gadsden Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gadsden Elementary
Gadsden Elementary is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Gadsden, South Carolina, enrolling 133 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.2:1, Gadsden Elementary is leaner than roughly 91% of South Carolina schools and 29% 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.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 96% of South Carolina schools, with 133 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 99% of the 1,214 South Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 38 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #3, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (91% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 17/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 133 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
11.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Richland 01 spends $18,122 per pupil, 24% above the South Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Richland 01 also operates A. C. Flora High (1,328 students) and Lower Richland High (1,218 students) alongside Gadsden 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 Gadsden Elementary compares
Gadsden 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 | 10.2:1 | ▼ 29% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 133 | top 96% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.2:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
133
Bigger than 13% 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
10.2:1
students per teacher
- 29% below state mean
Top 9% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
11.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$18,122
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 133 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 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
African American 91.0%
White 4.5%
Two or More 3.8%
Hispanic or Latino 0.8%
Largest group: African American at 91.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.8, Gadsden Elementary is less mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richland 01, which includes Gadsden Elementary.
$18,122
Per student
+24%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.1%
State 28.3%
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 Gadsden Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. C. Flora High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lower Richland High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dreher High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Crayton Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Brennen Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gadsden Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,328
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,218
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,144
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 952
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 805
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
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 (~133 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gadsden Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Gadsden Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Richland 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 Gadsden Elementary
How many students attend Gadsden Elementary?
Gadsden Elementary has 133 students enrolled. It is a public school in Gadsden, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gadsden Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Gadsden Elementary is 10.2:1, which is 29% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 35% 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 Gadsden Elementary?
100.0% of students at Gadsden Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gadsden Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Gadsden Elementary is African American at 91.0% of enrollment, in Gadsden, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gadsden Elementary?
Gadsden Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 69/100 (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).
Is Gadsden Elementary a good school?
Gadsden Elementary earns 69/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% 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 Richland 01?
Besides Gadsden Elementary, Richland 01 also operates A. C. Flora High (1,328 students), Lower Richland High (1,218 students), and Dreher High (1,144 students). See the Richland 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.