Enrollment
1,921
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Fort Mill, SC
Nation Ford High
Federal NCES profile for Nation Ford High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 62/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 450390001103
👥 S:T ratio 38
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 68
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Nation Ford High earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median. It is also one of the largest schools in South Carolina.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Fort Mill · Resource Index
- 62
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.4:1
- students per teacher
- 25.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Nation Ford High has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Nation Ford High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Fort Mill, SC.
School address
District: York 04 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450390001103 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
125.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.8%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nation Ford High compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Nation Ford High
Nation Ford High is a large high school in Fort Mill, South Carolina, enrolling 1,921 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.4:1 puts it in the larger third of South Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 25.8% free-meal eligibility runs 65% below the South Carolina average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in South Carolina, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,921 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Among 30 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 (50%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 68/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 22 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 320 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
13.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Fort Mill's high schools, it stands alongside Fort Mill High (2,115 students): Nation Ford High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.4:1 vs 15.8:1).
York 04 also operates Fort Mill High (2,115 students) and Catawba Ridge High School (1,704 students) alongside Nation Ford 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 Nation Ford High compares
Nation Ford 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 | 15.4:1 | ▲ 8% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.8% | ▼ 65% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,921 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.4:1
Leaner classes than 43% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,921
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
25.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 65% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.4:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 69% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
13.0%
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
$11,810
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
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 320 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
248
in-school suspensions + 82 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.2 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 50.3%
Hispanic or Latino 17.8%
African American 15.5%
Asian 9.6%
Two or More 6.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 50.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.8, Nation Ford High is more mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 22
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for York 04, which includes Nation Ford High.
$11,810
Per student
-19%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.2%
State 44.3%
Federal 7.5%
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 Nation Ford High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Mill High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Catawba Ridge High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pleasant Knoll Middle | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Gold Hill Middle | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gold Hill Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Nation Ford High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,115
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,704
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 916
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 877
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 815
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar high schools in Fort Mill
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 (~1,921 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Nation Ford High's federal record.
- Compare Nation Ford High against another school. Compare schools
- York 04'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 Nation Ford High
How many students attend Nation Ford High?
Nation Ford High has 1,921 students enrolled. It is a high school in Fort Mill, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nation Ford High?
The student-teacher ratio at Nation Ford High is 15.4:1, which is 8% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Nation Ford High?
25.8% of students at Nation Ford High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nation Ford High?
The largest demographic group at Nation Ford High is White at 50.3% of enrollment, in Fort Mill, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nation Ford High?
Nation Ford High has a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (higher 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 Nation Ford High rank among high schools in Fort Mill?
By Resource Investment Index, Nation Ford High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Fort Mill, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Fort Mill on the city page.
Is Nation Ford High a good school?
Nation Ford High earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median. It is also one of the largest schools in South Carolina. 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 York 04?
Besides Nation Ford High, York 04 also operates Fort Mill High (2,115 students), Catawba Ridge High School (1,704 students), and Pleasant Knoll Middle (916 students). See the York 04 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.