Enrollment
623
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Gray Court, SC
Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle
Federal NCES profile for Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450261001622
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most South Carolina schools.
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.3:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 623
- students enrolled
Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Laurens 55 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450261001622 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle
Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Gray Court, South Carolina, enrolling 623 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.3:1 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.
With 623 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 339 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #43.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 27/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 312 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights 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.
Among Gray Court's public schools, it stands alongside Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle (715 students): Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.3:1 vs 12.5:1).
Laurens 55 also operates Laurens District 55 High (1,434 students) and Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle (715 students) alongside Hickory Tavern 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 Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle compares
Hickory Tavern 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 | 13.3:1 | ▼ 7% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 623 | top 41% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
623
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
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
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 39% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.5%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 312 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
42
in-school suspensions + 56 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.7 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 85.1%
African American 6.9%
Hispanic or Latino 6.1%
Two or More 1.8%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 85.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.7, Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle is less 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 Hickory Tavern 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 Hickory Tavern 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 |
| Gray Court-Owings 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 | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ford Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hickory Tavern 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
- 715
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- 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 (~623 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle's federal record.
- Compare Hickory Tavern 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 Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle
How many students attend Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle?
Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle has 623 students enrolled. It is a public school in Gray Court, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle is 13.3:1, which is 7% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 15% 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 Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle?
100.0% of students at Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle?
The largest demographic group at Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle is White at 85.1% of enrollment, in Gray Court, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle?
Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher 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 Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle a good school?
Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle, Laurens 55 also operates Laurens District 55 High (1,434 students), Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle (715 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.