Enrollment
1,218
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Hopkins, SC
Lower Richland High
Federal NCES profile for Lower Richland High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 450336000955
👥 S:T ratio 39
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lower Richland High earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median.
- #5 of 5
- public schools in Hopkins · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.2:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Lower Richland High has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lower Richland High ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Hopkins, SC.
School address
District: Richland 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450336000955 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
80.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lower Richland High compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lower Richland High
Lower Richland High is a high-poverty, large high school in Hopkins, South Carolina, enrolling 1,218 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.2:1 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.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in South Carolina, bigger than 92% of state schools at 1,218 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 1,214 South Carolina schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 74 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #68, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 244 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Richland 01 spends $18,122 per pupil, 24% above the South Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Discipline events run high: 302 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,218 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Richland 01 also operates A. C. Flora High (1,328 students) and Dreher High (1,144 students) alongside Lower Richland High.
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 Lower Richland High compares
Lower Richland High 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 | 15.2:1 | ▲ 6% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,218 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,218
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
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
15.2:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 66% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
41.5%
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
$18,122
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 244 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
104
in-school suspensions + 198 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.8 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 81.2%
Hispanic or Latino 7.1%
White 6.3%
Two or More 4.8%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 81.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.9, Lower Richland High is less mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richland 01, which includes Lower Richland High.
$18,122
Per student
+24%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.1%
State 28.3%
Federal 13.6%
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 Lower Richland High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. C. Flora High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dreher High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Crayton Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Brennen Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hand Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lower Richland High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,328
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,144
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 952
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 805
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 755
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar high 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 (~1,218 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lower Richland High's federal record.
- Compare Lower Richland High against another school. Compare schools
- Richland 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 Lower Richland High
How many students attend Lower Richland High?
Lower Richland High has 1,218 students enrolled. It is a high school in Hopkins, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lower Richland High?
The student-teacher ratio at Lower Richland High is 15.2:1, which is 6% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lower Richland High?
100.0% of students at Lower Richland High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lower Richland High?
The largest demographic group at Lower Richland High is African American at 81.2% of enrollment, in Hopkins, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lower Richland High?
Lower Richland High has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Lower Richland High rank among public schools in Hopkins?
By Resource Investment Index, Lower Richland High ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Hopkins, 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 Hopkins on the city page.
Is Lower Richland High a good school?
Lower Richland High earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median. 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 Richland 01?
Besides Lower Richland High, Richland 01 also operates A. C. Flora High (1,328 students), Dreher High (1,144 students), and Crayton Middle (952 students). See the Richland 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.