Enrollment
702
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 450111000943
Hilton Head Island Elementary — Hilton Head Island, SC
Federal NCES profile for Hilton Head Island Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 35
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: Beaufort 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)
71.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.9%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hilton Head Island 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
Hilton Head Island Elementary reports 702 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 71.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 30% 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 37% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 44.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 39% below the South Carolina average and 13% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 351 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Beaufort 01 spends $22,414 per pupil district-wide, above the South Carolina average of $17,182 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 56.5% from local sources (property taxes), 30.2% from the state, and 13.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Hilton Head Island 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 | 10:1 | ▼ 30% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.9% | ▼ 39% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 702 | top 67% | — | — |
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
44.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 39% 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
10:1
students per teacher
— 30% below state mean
Top 7% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
26.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$22,414
per pupil, district-wide
— above South Carolina avg of $17,182
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 351 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 702 Top 67% in South Carolina — larger than 33% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 71.0
Students per teacher 10:1 -30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 44.9% -39% vs state
NCES ID 450111000943
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 53.0%
White 33.0%
African American 9.0%
Two or More 4.1%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 53.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 351:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.2%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Beaufort 01, which includes Hilton Head Island Elementary.
$22,414
Per student
+30%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
+15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 56.5%
State 30.2%
Federal 13.4%
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
- 1,731
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,375
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,265
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,134
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,104
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
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 Hilton Head Island Elementary
How many students attend Hilton Head Island Elementary?
Hilton Head Island Elementary has 702 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Hilton Head Island, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hilton Head Island Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Hilton Head Island Elementary is 10:1, which is 30% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 37% 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 Hilton Head Island Elementary?
44.9% of students at Hilton Head Island Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hilton Head Island Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Hilton Head Island Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 53.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Hilton Head Island, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hilton Head Island Elementary?
Hilton Head Island Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) 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.