Enrollment
297
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 450258000677
Heath Springs Elementary — Heath Springs, SC
Federal NCES profile for Heath Springs Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 62
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: Lancaster 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)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heath Springs 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
Heath Springs Elementary reports 297 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% 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 5% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 67.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 9% below the South Carolina average and 29% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 297 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lancaster 01 spends $14,178 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.3% from local sources (property taxes), 46.8% from the state, and 16.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), 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 Heath Springs 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 | 15.1:1 | ▲ 6% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.0% | ▼ 9% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 297 | top 16% | — | — |
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
67.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 9% 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
15.1:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 64% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
15.2%
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
$14,178
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 297 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 297 Top 16% in South Carolina — larger than 84% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 15.1:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 67.0% -9% vs state
NCES ID 450258000677
Student demographics
White 64.3%
African American 22.6%
Two or More 9.8%
Hispanic or Latino 3.4%
Largest group: White at 64.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 297:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.2%
In-school suspensions 19
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lancaster 01, which includes Heath Springs Elementary.
$14,178
Per student
-17%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.3%
State 46.8%
Federal 16.9%
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
- 1,905
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,390
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,181
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,161
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,102
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
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 Heath Springs Elementary
How many students attend Heath Springs Elementary?
Heath Springs Elementary has 297 students enrolled. It is a other school in Heath Springs, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heath Springs Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Heath Springs Elementary is 15.1:1, which is 6% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 5% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heath Springs Elementary?
67.0% of students at Heath Springs Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heath Springs Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Heath Springs Elementary is White at 64.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Heath Springs, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heath Springs Elementary?
Heath Springs Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) 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.