Enrollment
938
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · West Columbia, SC
Herbert a. Wood Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Herbert a. Wood Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450273000736
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 6
📋 Attendance 32
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Herbert a. Wood Elementary earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median.
- #6 of 6
- schools in West Columbia · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.6:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Herbert a. Wood Elementary has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Herbert a. Wood Elementary ranks #6 of 6 schools in West Columbia, SC.
School address
District: Lexington 02 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450273000736 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
69.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Herbert a. Wood Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Herbert a. Wood Elementary
Herbert a. Wood Elementary is a high-poverty, large combined-grade school in West Columbia, South Carolina, enrolling 938 students.
At 13.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the South Carolina median, within a few percentage points of the 14.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
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 938 puts it in the larger third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 162 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #94.
Its student body is led by African American (36%) and White (31%) (diversity index 70/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 469 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among West Columbia's public schools, it stands alongside South Carolina Virtual Charter School (2,180 students): Herbert a. Wood Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.6:1 vs 15.8:1).
Lexington 02 also operates Airport High (1,272 students) and Brookland-Cayce High (1,212 students) alongside Herbert a. Wood 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 Herbert a. Wood Elementary compares
Herbert a. Wood 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 | 13.6:1 | ▼ 5% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 938 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
938
Bigger than 90% 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
13.6:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 43% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
27.2%
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
$14,320
per pupil, district-wide
- below South Carolina avg of $14,558
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 469 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 69 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 35.6%
White 30.7%
Hispanic or Latino 28.4%
Two or More 4.3%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 35.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.6, Herbert a. Wood Elementary is more mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lexington 02, which includes Herbert a. Wood Elementary.
$14,320
Per student
-2%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.1%
State 41.7%
Federal 17.2%
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 Herbert a. Wood Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airport High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Brookland-Cayce High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Riverbank Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cayce Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Northside Middle | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Herbert a. Wood Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,272
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,212
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 996
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 977
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar other schools in West Columbia
5 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
South Carolina Virtual Charter School
Standard public school
2,180 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Riverbank Elementary
Standard public school
996 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Gray Collegiate Academy
Standard public school
935 students 24:1 students per teacher
White Knoll Elementary
Standard public school
615 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
Springdale Elementary
Standard public school
443 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
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 (~938 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Herbert a. Wood Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Herbert a. Wood Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Lexington 02'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 Herbert a. Wood Elementary
How many students attend Herbert a. Wood Elementary?
Herbert a. Wood Elementary has 938 students enrolled. It is a public school in West Columbia, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Herbert a. Wood Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Herbert a. Wood Elementary is 13.6:1, which is 5% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 13% 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 Herbert a. Wood Elementary?
100.0% of students at Herbert a. Wood Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Herbert a. Wood Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Herbert a. Wood Elementary is African American at 35.6% of enrollment, in West Columbia, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Herbert a. Wood Elementary?
Herbert a. Wood Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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).
How does Herbert a. Wood Elementary rank among schools in West Columbia?
By Resource Investment Index, Herbert a. Wood Elementary ranks #6 of 6 schools in West Columbia, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in West Columbia on the city page.
Is Herbert a. Wood Elementary a good school?
Herbert a. Wood Elementary earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median. 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 Lexington 02?
Besides Herbert a. Wood Elementary, Lexington 02 also operates Airport High (1,272 students), Brookland-Cayce High (1,212 students), and Riverbank Elementary (996 students). See the Lexington 02 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.