Enrollment
643
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 450072001197
M. B. Kennedy Middle — Aiken, SC
Federal NCES profile for M. B. Kennedy Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 24
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: Aiken 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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.9:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.3%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How M. B. Kennedy Middle 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
M. B. Kennedy Middle reports 643 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% 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 13% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 47.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 36% below the South Carolina average and 9% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 322 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Aiken 01 spends $14,610 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 39.3% from local sources (property taxes), 45.4% from the state, and 15.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), 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 M. B. Kennedy Middle 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 | 17.9:1 | ▲ 25% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.3% | ▼ 36% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 643 | top 62% | — | — |
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
47.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 36% 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
17.9:1
students per teacher
— 25% above state mean
Top 92% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
30.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,610
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 322 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
169
in-school suspensions + 137 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 26.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 47.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 643 Top 62% in South Carolina — larger than 38% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 17.9:1 +25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 47.3% -36% vs state
NCES ID 450072001197
Student demographics
White 44.4%
African American 34.4%
Hispanic or Latino 13.9%
Two or More 6.2%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 44.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 322:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.3%
In-school suspensions 169
Out-of-school suspensions 137
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Aiken 01, which includes M. B. Kennedy Middle.
$14,610
Per student
-15%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 39.3%
State 45.4%
Federal 15.3%
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
- 1,645
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,558
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,349
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,097
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Enrollment
- 756
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
Similar middle schools in Aiken
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 M. B. Kennedy Middle
How many students attend M. B. Kennedy Middle?
M. B. Kennedy Middle has 643 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Aiken, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at M. B. Kennedy Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at M. B. Kennedy Middle is 17.9:1, which is 25% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at M. B. Kennedy Middle?
47.3% of students at M. B. Kennedy Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of M. B. Kennedy Middle?
The largest demographic group at M. B. Kennedy Middle is White at 44.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Aiken, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for M. B. Kennedy Middle?
M. B. Kennedy Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) 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.