Enrollment
357
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lake City, SC
Lake City Early Childhood Center
Federal NCES profile for Lake City Early Childhood Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450219001641
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 81
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lake City Early Childhood Center earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most South Carolina schools.
- #3 of 5
- public schools in Lake City · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.3:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Lake City Early Childhood Center has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lake City Early Childhood Center ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Lake City, SC.
School address
District: Florence 03 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450219001641 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lake City Early Childhood Center compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lake City Early Childhood Center
Lake City Early Childhood Center is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Lake City, South Carolina, enrolling 357 students.
At 14.3:1, 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.
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.
Enrollment of 357 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 300 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #129.
Its student body is predominantly African American (89% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 20/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 357 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.8% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 30.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Lake City's public schools, it stands alongside J. Paul Truluck Creative Arts and Science Magnet (385 students): Lake City Early Childhood Center is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.3:1 vs 10.1:1).
Florence 03 also operates Lake City High (492 students) and Scranton Elementary (389 students) alongside Lake City Early Childhood Center.
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 Lake City Early Childhood Center compares
Lake City Early Childhood Center 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 | 14.3:1 | ▼ 0% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 357 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
357
Bigger than 41% 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
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 54% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
7.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$14,580
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 357 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.4 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 89.4%
White 3.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.1%
Two or More 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: African American at 89.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.8, Lake City Early Childhood Center is less mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Florence 03, which includes Lake City Early Childhood Center.
$14,580
Per student
+0%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.8%
State 49.8%
Federal 30.4%
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 Lake City Early Childhood Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake City High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Scranton Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| J. Paul Truluck Creative Arts and Science Magnet | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| J. C. Lynch Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Main Street Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lake City Early Childhood Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 492
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 389
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 385
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 353
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 318
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar other schools in Lake City
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~357 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lake City Early Childhood Center's federal record.
- Compare Lake City Early Childhood Center against another school. Compare schools
- Florence 03'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 Lake City Early Childhood Center
How many students attend Lake City Early Childhood Center?
Lake City Early Childhood Center has 357 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lake City, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lake City Early Childhood Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Lake City Early Childhood Center is 14.3:1, which is 0% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lake City Early Childhood Center?
100.0% of students at Lake City Early Childhood Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lake City Early Childhood Center?
The largest demographic group at Lake City Early Childhood Center is African American at 89.4% of enrollment, in Lake City, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lake City Early Childhood Center?
Lake City Early Childhood Center has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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).
How does Lake City Early Childhood Center rank among public schools in Lake City?
By Resource Investment Index, Lake City Early Childhood Center ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Lake City, 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 Lake City on the city page.
Is Lake City Early Childhood Center a good school?
Lake City Early Childhood Center earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Florence 03?
Besides Lake City Early Childhood Center, Florence 03 also operates Lake City High (492 students), Scranton Elementary (389 students), and J. Paul Truluck Creative Arts and Science Magnet (385 students). See the Florence 03 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.