Enrollment
216
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 450390101743 Charter school
Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy — Columbia, SC
Federal NCES profile for Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 64
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 50
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: Sc Public Charter School District · 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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.9:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.4%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy 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
Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy reports 216 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 38% 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 44% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 36.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 51% below the South Carolina average and 30% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sc Public Charter School District spends $25,770 per pupil district-wide, above the South Carolina average of $17,182 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 5.8% from local sources (property taxes), 80.6% 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 48/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy 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 | 8.9:1 | ▼ 38% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.4% | ▼ 51% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 216 | top 10% | — | — |
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
36.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 51% 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
8.9:1
students per teacher
— 38% below state mean
Top 4% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
19.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$25,770
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 216 Top 10% in South Carolina — larger than 90% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 8.9:1 -38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 36.4% -51% vs state
NCES ID 450390101743
Student demographics
White 49.1%
African American 41.2%
Two or More 4.6%
Hispanic or Latino 4.2%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: White at 49.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.9%
In-school suspensions 10
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sc Public Charter School District, which includes Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy.
$25,770
Per student
+50%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
+32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 5.8%
State 80.6%
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
- 1,672
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,592
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,472
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,208
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 998
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
Similar elementary schools in Columbia
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
E. L. Wright Middle
Standard public school
1,275 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Summit Parkway Middle
Standard public school
1,229 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Satchel Ford Elementary
Standard public school
721 students 14:1 students per teacher
Rosewood Elementary
Standard public school
338 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
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 Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy
How many students attend Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy?
Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy has 216 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Columbia, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy is 8.9:1, which is 38% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 44% 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 Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy?
36.4% of students at Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy?
The largest demographic group at Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy is White at 49.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Columbia, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy?
Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.