Enrollment
470
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Liberty, SC
Liberty Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Liberty Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 450333000890
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 6
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Liberty Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of South Carolina schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most South Carolina schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Liberty · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.7:1
- large classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Liberty Elementary has class sizes larger than 72% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Liberty Elementary ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Liberty, SC.
School address
District: Pickens 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450333000890 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Liberty Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Liberty Elementary
Liberty Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Liberty, South Carolina, enrolling 470 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.7:1 puts it in the larger 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.
With 470 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Among 371 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #308, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 28/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 470 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Pickens 01 spends $10,622 per pupil, 27% below the South Carolina average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Pickens 01 also operates Easley High (1,862 students) and Pickens High (1,226 students) alongside Liberty Elementary.
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 Liberty Elementary compares
Liberty Elementary 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 | 15.7:1 | ▲ 10% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 470 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.7:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
470
Bigger than 58% 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
15.7:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 72% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
30.9%
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
$10,622
per pupil, district-wide
- below South Carolina avg of $14,558
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 470 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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
White 84.5%
Two or More 6.6%
Hispanic or Latino 6.4%
African American 2.6%
Largest group: White at 84.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 27.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.7, Liberty Elementary is less mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pickens 01, which includes Liberty Elementary.
$10,622
Per student
-27%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.4%
State 47.7%
Federal 14.9%
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 Liberty Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easley High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pickens High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| D. W. Daniel High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Richard H. Gettys Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| R. C. Edwards Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Liberty Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,862
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,226
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,222
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,217
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 835
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar elementary 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 (~470 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Liberty Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Liberty Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Pickens 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 Liberty Elementary
How many students attend Liberty Elementary?
Liberty Elementary has 470 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Liberty, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Liberty Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Liberty Elementary is 15.7:1, which is 10% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Liberty Elementary?
100.0% of students at Liberty Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Liberty Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Liberty Elementary is White at 84.5% of enrollment, in Liberty, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Liberty Elementary?
Liberty Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 Liberty Elementary rank among public schools in Liberty?
By Resource Investment Index, Liberty Elementary ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Liberty, 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 Liberty on the city page.
Is Liberty Elementary a good school?
Liberty Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of South Carolina schools. 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 Pickens 01?
Besides Liberty Elementary, Pickens 01 also operates Easley High (1,862 students), Pickens High (1,226 students), and D. W. Daniel High (1,222 students). See the Pickens 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.