Enrollment
1,272
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Columbia, SC
Irmo High
Federal NCES profile for Irmo High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 450282000759
👥 S:T ratio 52
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Irmo High earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of South Carolina schools.
- #4 of 15
- high schools in Columbia · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.9:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Irmo High has class sizes smaller than 80% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Irmo High ranks #4 of 15 high schools in Columbia, SC.
School address
District: Lexington 05 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450282000759 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
107.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Irmo High compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Irmo High
Irmo High is a high-poverty, large high school in Columbia, South Carolina, enrolling 1,272 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.9:1 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.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in South Carolina, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,272 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 67 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #10.
Its student body is led by African American (58%) and White (23%) (diversity index 60/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 11 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 254 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 429 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,272 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 51 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Columbia's high schools, it stands alongside Spring Valley High (2,230 students): Irmo High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.9:1 vs 18.3:1).
Lexington 05 also operates Dutch Fork High (1,703 students) and Chapin High (1,617 students) alongside Irmo 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 Irmo High compares
Irmo 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 | 11.9:1 | ▼ 17% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,272 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.9:1
Leaner classes than 76% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
1,272
Bigger than 95% 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
11.9:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 20% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
30.8%
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
$14,775
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 254 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
206
in-school suspensions + 223 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 33.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 51 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 57.5%
White 23.3%
Hispanic or Latino 7.9%
Two or More 6.5%
Asian 3.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 57.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.3, Irmo High is more mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lexington 05, which includes Irmo High.
$14,775
Per student
+1%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.4%
State 50.2%
Federal 9.4%
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 Irmo High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dutch Fork High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chapin High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Spring Hill High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chapin Middle | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Irmo Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Irmo High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,703
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,617
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,118
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 1,007
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 992
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar high schools in Columbia
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Spring Valley High
Standard public school
2,230 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Ridge View High
Standard public school
1,631 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Richland Northeast High
Standard public school
1,340 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
A. C. Flora High
Standard public school
1,328 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Dreher High
Standard public school
1,144 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Columbia High
Standard public school
681 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
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 (~1,272 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Irmo High's federal record.
- Compare Irmo High against another school. Compare schools
- Lexington 05'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 Irmo High
How many students attend Irmo High?
Irmo High has 1,272 students enrolled. It is a high school in Columbia, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Irmo High?
The student-teacher ratio at Irmo High is 11.9:1, which is 17% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 24% 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 Irmo High?
100.0% of students at Irmo High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Irmo High?
The largest demographic group at Irmo High is African American at 57.5% of enrollment, in Columbia, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Irmo High?
Irmo High has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher 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 Irmo High rank among high schools in Columbia?
By Resource Investment Index, Irmo High ranks #4 of 15 high schools in Columbia, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Columbia on the city page.
Is Irmo High a good school?
Irmo High earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% 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 Lexington 05?
Besides Irmo High, Lexington 05 also operates Dutch Fork High (1,703 students), Chapin High (1,617 students), and Spring Hill High (1,118 students). See the Lexington 05 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.