Enrollment
813
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 450270000476
Lake Murray Elementary — Lexington, SC
Federal NCES profile for Lake Murray Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 73
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: Lexington 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)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.5%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-86% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lake Murray 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
Lake Murray Elementary reports 813 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 59.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% above the South Carolina state mean of 14.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 4% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 10.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 86% below the South Carolina average and 80% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 325 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 10.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lexington 01 spends $16,643 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.8% from local sources (property taxes), 51.0% from the state, and 8.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), 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 Lake Murray 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 | 15.3:1 | ▲ 7% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.5% | ▼ 86% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 813 | top 78% | — | — |
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
10.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 86% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.3:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 67% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
10.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,643
per pupil, district-wide
— below South Carolina avg of $17,182
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.5 FTE
Per 325 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 813 Top 78% in South Carolina — larger than 22% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 59.0
Students per teacher 15.3:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 10.5% -86% vs state
NCES ID 450270000476
Student demographics
White 75.2%
African American 7.9%
Asian 6.8%
Two or More 5.2%
Hispanic or Latino 4.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 75.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.5
Students per counselor 325:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 10.8%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lexington 01, which includes Lake Murray Elementary.
$16,643
Per student
-3%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 40.8%
State 51.0%
Federal 8.2%
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
- 2,536
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 2,117
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,025
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,138
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,033
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
Similar other schools in Lexington
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Midway Elementary
Standard public school
856 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Pleasant Hill Elementary
Standard public school
846 students 14:1 students per teacher
Rocky Creek Elementary
Standard public school
805 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Deerfield Elementary
Standard public school
753 students 13:1 students per teacher
Oak Grove Elementary
Standard public school
691 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Lexington Elementary
Standard public school
607 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
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 Lake Murray Elementary
How many students attend Lake Murray Elementary?
Lake Murray Elementary has 813 students enrolled. It is a other school in Lexington, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lake Murray Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Lake Murray Elementary is 15.3:1, which is 7% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lake Murray Elementary?
10.5% of students at Lake Murray Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lake Murray Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Lake Murray Elementary is White at 75.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lexington, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lake Murray Elementary?
Lake Murray Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) 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.