Enrollment
749
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 450078000074
Palmetto Middle — Williamston, SC
Federal NCES profile for Palmetto Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 40
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: Anderson 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)
57.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.2%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palmetto 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
Palmetto Middle reports 749 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 57.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% 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 14% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 63.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 15% below the South Carolina average and 22% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 250 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Anderson 01 spends $14,120 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 37.0% from local sources (property taxes), 49.8% from the state, and 13.2% 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 Palmetto 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 | 13.6:1 | ▼ 5% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.2% | ▼ 15% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 749 | top 71% | — | — |
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
63.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 15% below 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
13.6:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 42% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
24.2%
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
$14,120
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 250 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
113
in-school suspensions + 97 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 28.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 749 Top 71% in South Carolina — larger than 29% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 57.0
Students per teacher 13.6:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 63.2% -15% vs state
NCES ID 450078000074
Student demographics
White 70.5%
Hispanic or Latino 15.9%
African American 7.5%
Two or More 5.5%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 70.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 250:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.2%
In-school suspensions 113
Out-of-school suspensions 97
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Anderson 01, which includes Palmetto Middle.
$14,120
Per student
-18%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 37.0%
State 49.8%
Federal 13.2%
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
- 1,252
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,086
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,024
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 910
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 804
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
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 Middle
How many students attend Palmetto Middle?
Palmetto Middle has 749 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Williamston, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palmetto Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Palmetto Middle is 13.6:1, which is 5% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 14% 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 Middle?
63.2% of students at Palmetto Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palmetto Middle?
The largest demographic group at Palmetto Middle is White at 70.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Williamston, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palmetto Middle?
Palmetto 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.