Enrollment
408
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 450255000766
North Central Middle — Kershaw, SC
Federal NCES profile for North Central Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 59
📋 Attendance 26
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: Kershaw 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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How North Central 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
North Central Middle reports 408 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% below the South Carolina state mean of 14.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 18% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% above the South Carolina average and 93% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 204 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 29.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Kershaw 01 spends $16,649 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.3% from local sources (property taxes), 48.1% from the state, and 13.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), 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 North Central 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 | 13.1:1 | ▼ 8% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 408 | top 30% | — | — |
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
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
13.1:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 32% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
29.7%
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
$16,649
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 204 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
156
in-school suspensions + 72 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 38.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 55.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 10 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 408 Top 30% in South Carolina — larger than 70% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 13.1:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +35% vs state
NCES ID 450255000766
Student demographics
White 69.6%
African American 12.0%
Hispanic or Latino 11.0%
Two or More 6.6%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 69.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 204:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 29.7%
In-school suspensions 156
Out-of-school suspensions 72
Expulsions 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kershaw 01, which includes North Central Middle.
$16,649
Per student
-3%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.3%
State 48.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,759
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,136
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 844
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 750
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 688
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
Similar middle schools in Kershaw
1 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 North Central Middle
How many students attend North Central Middle?
North Central Middle has 408 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Kershaw, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at North Central Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at North Central Middle is 13.1:1, which is 8% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at North Central Middle?
100.0% of students at North Central Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of North Central Middle?
The largest demographic group at North Central Middle is White at 69.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Kershaw, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for North Central Middle?
North Central Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) 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.