Enrollment
986
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Mount Pleasant, SC
Laing Middle
Federal NCES profile for Laing Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 450144001217
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 77
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Laing Middle earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of South Carolina schools.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Mount Pleasant · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17:1
- large classes for South Carolina
- 19.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Laing Middle has class sizes larger than 84% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Laing Middle ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Mount Pleasant, SC.
School address
District: Charleston 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450144001217 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
58.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.9%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-73% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Laing Middle compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Laing Middle
Laing Middle is a lower-poverty, large middle school in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, enrolling 986 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17:1 puts it in the larger third of South Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 19.9% free-meal eligibility runs 73% below the South Carolina average.
Enrollment of 986 puts it in the larger third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 1,214 South Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 91 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #13.
Its student body is led by White (80%) and African American (12%) (diversity index 35/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 247 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Mount Pleasant's middle schools, it stands alongside Moultrie Middle (1,130 students): Laing Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17:1 vs 18.2:1).
Charleston 01 also operates Wando High (2,588 students) and Rb Stall High (2,135 students) alongside Laing 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 Laing Middle compares
Laing 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 | 17:1 | ▲ 19% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.9% | ▼ 73% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 986 | top 14% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
986
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
19.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 73% 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
17:1
students per teacher
- 19% above state mean
Top 84% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
9.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$15,213
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 247 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
111
in-school suspensions + 64 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 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
White 79.7%
African American 11.5%
Hispanic or Latino 4.1%
Two or More 2.5%
Asian 2.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 79.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.9, Laing 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 Charleston 01, which includes Laing Middle.
$15,213
Per student
+4%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 59.0%
State 27.7%
Federal 13.3%
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 Laing Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wando High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rb Stall High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Ashley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lucy Garrett Beckham High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James Island Charter High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Laing Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,588
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,135
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,069
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,757
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,612
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar middle schools in Mount Pleasant
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 (~986 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Laing Middle's federal record.
- Compare Laing Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Charleston 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 Laing Middle
How many students attend Laing Middle?
Laing Middle has 986 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Mount Pleasant, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Laing Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Laing Middle is 17:1, which is 19% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Laing Middle?
19.9% of students at Laing Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Laing Middle?
The largest demographic group at Laing Middle is White at 79.7% of enrollment, in Mount Pleasant, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Laing Middle?
Laing Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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).
How does Laing Middle rank among public schools in Mount Pleasant?
By Resource Investment Index, Laing Middle ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Mount Pleasant, 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 Mount Pleasant on the city page.
Is Laing Middle a good school?
Laing Middle earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% 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 Charleston 01?
Besides Laing Middle, Charleston 01 also operates Wando High (2,588 students), Rb Stall High (2,135 students), and West Ashley High (2,069 students). See the Charleston 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.