Enrollment
1,265
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Hilton Head Island, SC
Hilton Head Island High
Federal NCES profile for Hilton Head Island High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 450111001350
👥 S:T ratio 44
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hilton Head Island High earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median.
- #5 of 5
- public schools in Hilton Head Island · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.1:1
- students per teacher
- 34.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Hilton Head Island High has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hilton Head Island High ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Hilton Head Island, SC.
School address
District: Beaufort 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450111001350 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
90.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.3%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hilton Head Island High compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hilton Head Island High
Hilton Head Island High is a large high school in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, enrolling 1,265 students.
At 14.1:1, 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.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 34.3% free-meal eligibility runs 54% below the South Carolina average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in South Carolina, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,265 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Among 91 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #66, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (45%) and White (39%) (diversity index 63/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 253 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 48.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 437 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,265 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Beaufort 01 also operates May River High (1,731 students) and Bluffton High (1,375 students) alongside Hilton Head Island High.
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 Hilton Head Island High compares
Hilton Head Island High 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 | 14.1:1 | ▼ 1% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.3% | ▼ 54% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,265 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,265
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 54% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 51% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
48.5%
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
$16,066
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 253 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
249
in-school suspensions + 188 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 34.5 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
Hispanic or Latino 45.2%
White 38.5%
African American 11.8%
Two or More 2.9%
Asian 1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 45.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.2, Hilton Head Island High is more mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Beaufort 01, which includes Hilton Head Island High.
$16,066
Per student
+10%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Hilton Head Island High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| May River High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bluffton High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| River Ridge Academy | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Beaufort High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bluffton Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hilton Head Island High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,731
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,375
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,134
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 1,104
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 921
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar high 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 (~1,265 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hilton Head Island High's federal record.
- Compare Hilton Head Island High against another school. Compare schools
- Beaufort 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 Hilton Head Island High
How many students attend Hilton Head Island High?
Hilton Head Island High has 1,265 students enrolled. It is a high school in Hilton Head Island, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hilton Head Island High?
The student-teacher ratio at Hilton Head Island High is 14.1:1, which is 1% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 10% 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 Hilton Head Island High?
34.3% of students at Hilton Head Island High 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 High?
The largest demographic group at Hilton Head Island High is Hispanic or Latino at 45.2% of enrollment, in Hilton Head Island, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hilton Head Island High?
Hilton Head Island High has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Hilton Head Island High rank among public schools in Hilton Head Island?
By Resource Investment Index, Hilton Head Island High ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Hilton Head Island, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Hilton Head Island on the city page.
Is Hilton Head Island High a good school?
Hilton Head Island High earns 35/100 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 Beaufort 01?
Besides Hilton Head Island High, Beaufort 01 also operates May River High (1,731 students), Bluffton High (1,375 students), and River Ridge Academy (1,134 students). See the Beaufort 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.