Enrollment
435
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Shaw Air Force Base, SC
High Hills Elementary
Federal NCES profile for High Hills Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 450390201317
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
High Hills Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of South Carolina schools.
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.1:1
- large classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 435
- students enrolled
High Hills Elementary has class sizes larger than 91% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Sumter 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450390201317 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.1:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How High Hills Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at High Hills Elementary
High Hills Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, enrolling 435 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.1:1 is larger than about 91% of South Carolina schools and 27% above the 14.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
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 435 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 354 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #227.
Its student body is led by African American (57%) and White (27%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 435 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Sumter 01 spends $11,507 per pupil, 21% below the South Carolina average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Shaw Air Force Base's elementary schools, it stands alongside Shaw Heights Elementary (404 students): High Hills Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.1:1 vs 15.5:1).
Sumter 01 also operates Sumter High School (2,122 students) and Crestwood High (1,105 students) alongside High Hills 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 High Hills Elementary compares
High Hills 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 | 18.1:1 | ▲ 27% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 435 | top 65% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.1:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
435
Bigger than 53% 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
18.1:1
students per teacher
- 27% above state mean
Top 91% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.6%
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
$11,507
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 435 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
23
in-school suspensions + 57 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.4 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
African American 56.6%
White 26.7%
Hispanic or Latino 9.0%
Two or More 5.5%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 56.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.7, High Hills 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 Sumter 01, which includes High Hills Elementary.
$11,507
Per student
-21%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.0%
State 53.3%
Federal 19.7%
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 High Hills Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sumter High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Crestwood High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lakewood High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Alice Drive Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Furman Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to High Hills Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,122
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,105
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,013
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 783
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 700
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar elementary schools in Shaw Air Force Base
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~435 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on High Hills Elementary's federal record.
- Compare High Hills Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Sumter 01'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 High Hills Elementary
How many students attend High Hills Elementary?
High Hills Elementary has 435 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Shaw Air Force Base, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at High Hills Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at High Hills Elementary is 18.1:1, which is 27% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at High Hills Elementary?
100.0% of students at High Hills Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of High Hills Elementary?
The largest demographic group at High Hills Elementary is African American at 56.6% of enrollment, in Shaw Air Force Base, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for High Hills Elementary?
High Hills Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 High Hills Elementary a good school?
High Hills Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% 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 Sumter 01?
Besides High Hills Elementary, Sumter 01 also operates Sumter High School (2,122 students), Crestwood High (1,105 students), and Lakewood High (1,013 students). See the Sumter 01 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.