Enrollment
209
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 450249001752
Hcs Scholars Academy High — Conway, SC
Federal NCES profile for Hcs Scholars Academy High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 56
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 16
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: Horry 01 · 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)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.9:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.4%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hcs Scholars Academy High 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
Hcs Scholars Academy High reports 209 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 12.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 24% below the South Carolina state mean of 14.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 31% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 21.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 71% below the South Carolina average and 59% below the national baseline. The school offers 6 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 418 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Horry 01 spends $14,530 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 47.9% from local sources (property taxes), 36.1% from the state, and 16.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Hcs Scholars Academy High 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 | 10.9:1 | ▼ 24% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.4% | ▼ 71% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 209 | top 9% | — | — |
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
21.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 71% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.9:1
students per teacher
— 24% below state mean
Top 11% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$14,530
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 418 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 209 Top 9% in South Carolina — larger than 91% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 12.0
Students per teacher 10.9:1 -24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 21.4% -71% vs state
NCES ID 450249001752
Student demographics
White 75.6%
Asian 10.0%
Two or More 6.2%
African American 4.3%
Hispanic or Latino 3.8%
Largest group: White at 75.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 418:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Horry 01, which includes Hcs Scholars Academy High.
$14,530
Per student
-15%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 47.9%
State 36.1%
Federal 16.0%
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
- 3,176
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,826
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,724
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,720
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,673
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
Similar high schools in Conway
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 Hcs Scholars Academy High
How many students attend Hcs Scholars Academy High?
Hcs Scholars Academy High has 209 students enrolled. It is a high school in Conway, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hcs Scholars Academy High?
The student-teacher ratio at Hcs Scholars Academy High is 10.9:1, which is 24% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 31% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hcs Scholars Academy High?
21.4% of students at Hcs Scholars Academy High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hcs Scholars Academy High?
The largest demographic group at Hcs Scholars Academy High is White at 75.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Conway, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hcs Scholars Academy High?
Hcs Scholars Academy High has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.