Enrollment
295
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Johns Island, SC
Mt. Zion Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Mt. Zion Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450144001404
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 63
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mt. Zion Elementary earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Johns Island · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.8:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Mt. Zion Elementary has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mt. Zion Elementary ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Johns Island, SC.
School address
District: Charleston 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450144001404 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mt. Zion Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mt. Zion Elementary
Mt. Zion Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Johns Island, South Carolina, enrolling 295 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.8:1 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.
Enrollment of 295 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 224 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #37.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (39%) and White (34%) (diversity index 68/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 295 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
14.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Johns Island's public schools, it stands alongside Angel Oak Elementary (828 students): Mt. Zion Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.8:1 vs 16.6:1).
Charleston 01 also operates Wando High (2,588 students) and Rb Stall High (2,135 students) alongside Mt. Zion 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 Mt. Zion Elementary compares
Mt. Zion 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 | 14.8:1 | ▲ 3% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 295 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
295
Bigger than 32% 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
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 62% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$15,213
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 295 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.1 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
Hispanic or Latino 38.6%
White 33.6%
African American 23.4%
Two or More 4.1%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 38.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.2, Mt. Zion Elementary is more mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Charleston 01, which includes Mt. Zion Elementary.
$15,213
Per student
+4%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 59.0%
State 27.7%
Federal 13.3%
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.
How Mt. Zion Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wando High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rb Stall High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Ashley High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lucy Garrett Beckham High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James Island Charter High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mt. Zion Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,588
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,135
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,069
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,757
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,612
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar other schools in Johns Island
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~295 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mt. Zion Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Mt. Zion Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Charleston 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 Mt. Zion Elementary
How many students attend Mt. Zion Elementary?
Mt. Zion Elementary has 295 students enrolled. It is a public school in Johns Island, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mt. Zion Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mt. Zion Elementary is 14.8:1, which is 3% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mt. Zion Elementary?
100.0% of students at Mt. Zion Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mt. Zion Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Mt. Zion Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 38.6% of enrollment, in Johns Island, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mt. Zion Elementary?
Mt. Zion Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (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).
How does Mt. Zion Elementary rank among public schools in Johns Island?
By Resource Investment Index, Mt. Zion Elementary ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Johns Island, 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 Johns Island on the city page.
Is Mt. Zion Elementary a good school?
Mt. Zion Elementary earns 54/100 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 Charleston 01?
Besides Mt. Zion Elementary, Charleston 01 also operates Wando High (2,588 students), Rb Stall High (2,135 students), and West Ashley High (2,069 students). See the Charleston 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.