Enrollment
109
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Mt. Pleasant, SC
Gates School
Federal NCES profile for Gates School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 450390901760Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 74
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gates School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of South Carolina schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in South Carolina.
- #3 of 11
- public schools in Mt. Pleasant · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 6.4:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 4.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Gates School has class sizes smaller than 98% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Gates School ranks #3 of 11 public schools in Mt. Pleasant, SC.
School address
District: Charter Institute at Erskine · South Carolina
NCES ID 450390901760 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6.4:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-55% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
4.6%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-94% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gates School compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gates School
Gates School is a lower-poverty, small charter elementary school in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, enrolling 109 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 6.4:1, Gates School is leaner than roughly 98% of South Carolina schools and 55% under the state's 14.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 4.6% free-meal eligibility runs 94% below the South Carolina average.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 97% of South Carolina schools, with 109 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Charter Institute at Erskine spends $6,927 per pupil, 52% below the South Carolina average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Mt. Pleasant's elementary schools, it stands alongside Charles Pinckney Elementary (644 students): Gates School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (6.4:1 vs 16.9:1).
Charter Institute at Erskine also operates Sc Connections Academy (6,152 students) and Cyber Academy of South Carolina (3,280 students) alongside Gates School.
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 Gates School compares
Gates School 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 | 6.4:1 | ▼ 55% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 4.6% | ▼ 94% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 109 | top 97% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
6.4:1
Leaner classes than 97% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
109
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
4.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 94% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
6.4:1
students per teacher
- 55% below state mean
Top 2% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
22.9%
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
$6,927
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Charter Institute at Erskine, which includes Gates School.
$6,927
Per student
-52%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-58%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 2.7%
State 85.8%
Federal 11.5%
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 Gates School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sc Connections Academy | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cyber Academy of South Carolina | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Carolina Virtual Charter School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gray Collegiate Academy | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mevers School of Excellence | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gates School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 6,152
- Students per teacher
- 27.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 3,280
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,180
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 935
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 772
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar elementary schools in Mt. Pleasant
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~109 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gates School's federal record.
- Compare Gates School against another school. Compare schools
- Charter Institute at Erskine'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 Gates School
How many students attend Gates School?
Gates School has 109 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Mt. Pleasant, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gates School?
The student-teacher ratio at Gates School is 6.4:1, which is 55% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 59% 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 Gates School?
4.6% of students at Gates School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gates School?
Gates School 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).
How does Gates School rank among public schools in Mt. Pleasant?
By Resource Investment Index, Gates School ranks #3 of 11 public schools in Mt. Pleasant, 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 Mt. Pleasant on the city page.
Is Gates School a good school?
Gates School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% 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 Charter Institute at Erskine?
Besides Gates School, Charter Institute at Erskine also operates Sc Connections Academy (6,152 students), Cyber Academy of South Carolina (3,280 students), and South Carolina Virtual Charter School (2,180 students). See the Charter Institute at Erskine district page for the complete list.
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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.