Enrollment
520
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Meggett, SC
Lowcountry Leadership Charter School
Federal NCES profile for Lowcountry Leadership Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 62/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450390901613Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 80
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lowcountry Leadership Charter School earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of South Carolina schools.
- 62
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.7:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 41.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 520
- students enrolled
Lowcountry Leadership Charter School has class sizes smaller than 70% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Charter Institute at Erskine · South Carolina
NCES ID 450390901613 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.3%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lowcountry Leadership Charter School compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lowcountry Leadership Charter School
Lowcountry Leadership Charter School is a mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Meggett, South Carolina, enrolling 520 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 41.3% of students eligible for free meals.
With 520 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 1,214 South Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 88 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #4, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and African American (12%) (diversity index 37/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 260 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Charter Institute at Erskine spends $6,927 per pupil, 52% below the South Carolina average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Charter Institute at Erskine also operates Sc Connections Academy (6,152 students) and Cyber Academy of South Carolina (3,280 students) alongside Lowcountry Leadership Charter School.
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 Lowcountry Leadership Charter School compares
Lowcountry Leadership Charter School 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 | 12.7:1 | ▼ 11% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.3% | ▼ 44% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 520 | top 54% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
520
Bigger than 64% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% below 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
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 30% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
7.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$6,927
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 260 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 49 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.4 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 77.9%
African American 12.3%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
Two or More 2.1%
Asian 1.0%
Largest group: White at 77.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 37.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 37.3, Lowcountry Leadership Charter School is less mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Charter Institute at Erskine, which includes Lowcountry Leadership Charter School.
$6,927
Per student
-52%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-58%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 2.7%
State 85.8%
Federal 11.5%
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 Lowcountry Leadership Charter School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sc Connections Academy | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cyber Academy of South Carolina | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Carolina Virtual Charter School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gray Collegiate Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mevers School of Excellence | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lowcountry Leadership Charter School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 6,152
- Students per teacher
- 27.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 3,280
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,180
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 935
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 772
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
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 (~520 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lowcountry Leadership Charter School's federal record.
- Compare Lowcountry Leadership Charter School against another school. Compare schools
- Charter Institute at Erskine'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 Lowcountry Leadership Charter School
How many students attend Lowcountry Leadership Charter School?
Lowcountry Leadership Charter School has 520 students enrolled. It is a public school in Meggett, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lowcountry Leadership Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lowcountry Leadership Charter School is 12.7:1, which is 11% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 19% 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 Lowcountry Leadership Charter School?
41.3% of students at Lowcountry Leadership Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lowcountry Leadership Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Lowcountry Leadership Charter School is White at 77.9% of enrollment, in Meggett, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lowcountry Leadership Charter School?
Lowcountry Leadership Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (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).
Is Lowcountry Leadership Charter School a good school?
Lowcountry Leadership Charter School earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% 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 Charter Institute at Erskine?
Besides Lowcountry Leadership Charter School, Charter Institute at Erskine also operates Sc Connections Academy (6,152 students), Cyber Academy of South Carolina (3,280 students), and South Carolina Virtual Charter School (2,180 students). See the Charter Institute at Erskine 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.