Enrollment
715
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Gray Court, SC
Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle
Federal NCES profile for Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450261001623
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 8
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of South Carolina schools.
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.5:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 715
- students enrolled
Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle has class sizes smaller than 73% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Laurens 55 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450261001623 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
57.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle
Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Gray Court, South Carolina, enrolling 715 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.5:1 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 715 puts it in the larger third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 279 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #82.
Its student body is led by White (53%) and Hispanic or Latino (25%) (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 238 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.9% 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.
Discipline events run high: 150 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 715 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Gray Court's public schools, it stands alongside Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle (623 students): Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.5:1 vs 13.3:1).
Laurens 55 also operates Laurens District 55 High (1,434 students) and Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle (623 students) alongside Gray Court-Owings Elementary/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 Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle compares
Gray Court-Owings Elementary/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 | 12.5:1 | ▼ 13% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 715 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
715
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
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
12.5:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 27% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
36.9%
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
$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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 238 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
92
in-school suspensions + 58 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.0 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
White 53.0%
Hispanic or Latino 24.6%
African American 16.4%
Two or More 4.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 53.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.9, Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle 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 Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle.
$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 Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laurens District 55 High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Laurens Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| E. B. Morse Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ford Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle'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
- 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
- Enrollment
- 423
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar other schools in Gray Court
1 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 (~715 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle's federal record.
- Compare Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle 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 Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle
How many students attend Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle?
Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle has 715 students enrolled. It is a public school in Gray Court, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle is 12.5:1, which is 13% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 20% 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 Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle?
100.0% of students at Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle?
The largest demographic group at Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle is White at 53.0% of enrollment, in Gray Court, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle?
Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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).
Is Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle a good school?
Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% 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 Laurens 55?
Besides Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle, Laurens 55 also operates Laurens District 55 High (1,434 students), Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle (623 students), and Laurens Elementary (465 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.