Enrollment
555
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Fort Mill, SC
Orchard Park Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Orchard Park Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 70/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 450390000663
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 63
📋 Attendance 92
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Orchard Park Elementary earns 70/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of South Carolina schools.
- #1 of 4
- elementary schools in Fort Mill · Resource Index
- 70
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.6:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 7.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Orchard Park Elementary has class sizes smaller than 82% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Orchard Park Elementary ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Fort Mill, SC.
School address
District: York 04 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450390000663 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
7.6%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-90% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Orchard Park Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Orchard Park Elementary
Orchard Park Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Fort Mill, South Carolina, enrolling 555 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 7.6% free-meal eligibility runs 90% below the South Carolina average.
With 555 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 100% of the 1,214 South Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 42 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #1, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (77%) and Hispanic or Latino (10%) (diversity index 39/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 185 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 3.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Fort Mill's elementary schools, it stands alongside Springfield Elementary (798 students): Orchard Park Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.6:1 vs 12.1:1).
York 04 also operates Fort Mill High (2,115 students) and Nation Ford High (1,921 students) alongside Orchard Park 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 Orchard Park Elementary compares
Orchard Park 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 | 11.6:1 | ▼ 19% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 7.6% | ▼ 90% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 555 | top 49% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.6:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
555
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
7.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 90% 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
11.6:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 18% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
3.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 185 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 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 77.3%
Hispanic or Latino 9.5%
Two or More 5.9%
African American 5.2%
Asian 1.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 77.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.7, Orchard Park Elementary is less mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for York 04, which includes Orchard Park Elementary.
$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 Orchard Park Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Mill High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Nation Ford High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Catawba Ridge High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pleasant Knoll Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gold Hill Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Orchard Park Elementary'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
- 1,921
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- 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
Similar elementary schools in Fort Mill
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~555 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Orchard Park Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Orchard Park Elementary 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 Orchard Park Elementary
How many students attend Orchard Park Elementary?
Orchard Park Elementary has 555 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Fort Mill, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Orchard Park Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Orchard Park Elementary is 11.6:1, which is 19% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 26% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Orchard Park Elementary?
7.6% of students at Orchard Park Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Orchard Park Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Orchard Park Elementary is White at 77.3% of enrollment, in Fort Mill, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Orchard Park Elementary?
Orchard Park Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 70/100 (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 Orchard Park Elementary rank among elementary schools in Fort Mill?
By Resource Investment Index, Orchard Park Elementary ranks #1 of 4 elementary 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 elementary schools in Fort Mill on the city page.
Is Orchard Park Elementary a good school?
Orchard Park Elementary earns 70/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of South Carolina schools. 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 Orchard Park Elementary, York 04 also operates Fort Mill High (2,115 students), Nation Ford High (1,921 students), and Catawba Ridge High School (1,704 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.