Enrollment
1,731
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 450111001666
May River High — Bluffton, SC
Federal NCES profile for May River High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 40
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 4
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: Beaufort 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)
106.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.9%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-70% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How May River High 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
May River High reports 1,731 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 106.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% 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 5% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 21.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 70% below the South Carolina average and 58% below the national baseline. The school offers 7 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 346 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Beaufort 01 spends $22,414 per pupil district-wide, above the South Carolina average of $17,182 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 56.5% from local sources (property taxes), 30.2% from the state, and 13.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 May River High 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 | 15.1:1 | ▲ 6% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.9% | ▼ 70% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,731 | top 96% | — | — |
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
21.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 70% 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
15.1:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 64% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.3%
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
$22,414
per pupil, district-wide
— above South Carolina avg of $17,182
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 346 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
322
in-school suspensions + 137 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 18.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 26.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,731 Top 96% in South Carolina — larger than 4% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 106.0
Students per teacher 15.1:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 21.9% -70% vs state
NCES ID 450111001666
Student demographics
White 53.0%
Hispanic or Latino 31.9%
African American 8.7%
Two or More 4.3%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 53.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 346:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.3%
In-school suspensions 322
Out-of-school suspensions 137
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Beaufort 01, which includes May River High.
$22,414
Per student
+30%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
+15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 56.5%
State 30.2%
Federal 13.4%
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
- 1,375
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,265
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,134
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,104
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 921
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
Similar high schools in Bluffton
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 May River High
How many students attend May River High?
May River High has 1,731 students enrolled. It is a high school in Bluffton, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at May River High?
The student-teacher ratio at May River High is 15.1:1, which is 6% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 5% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at May River High?
21.9% of students at May River High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of May River High?
The largest demographic group at May River High is White at 53.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bluffton, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for May River High?
May River High has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.