Enrollment
397
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Darlington, SC
Pate Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Pate Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450186000355
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 9
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pate Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median.
- #3 of 3
- schools in Darlington · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.8:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Pate Elementary has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pate Elementary ranks #3 of 3 schools in Darlington, SC.
School address
District: Darlington 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450186000355 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pate Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pate Elementary
Pate Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Darlington, South Carolina, enrolling 397 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 100.0% lands close to the South Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 397 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 97% of the 1,214 South Carolina schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 337 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #322, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (59%) and White (24%) (diversity index 59/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 397 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Darlington's public schools, it stands alongside St. John's Elementary (596 students): Pate Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.8:1 vs 14.2:1).
Darlington 01 also operates Hartsville High (1,129 students) and Darlington High (965 students) alongside Pate 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 Pate Elementary compares
Pate 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 10% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 397 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
397
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 31% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
36.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,032
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 397 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 52 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.1 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
African American 58.7%
White 23.7%
Two or More 9.8%
Hispanic or Latino 6.5%
Asian 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 58.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.5, Pate Elementary is more mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Darlington 01, which includes Pate Elementary.
$16,032
Per student
+10%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.6%
State 40.1%
Federal 21.4%
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 Pate Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartsville High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Darlington High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Darlington Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hartsville Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| St. John's Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pate Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,129
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 965
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 888
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 801
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar other schools in Darlington
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~397 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pate Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Pate Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Darlington 01'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 Pate Elementary
How many students attend Pate Elementary?
Pate Elementary has 397 students enrolled. It is a public school in Darlington, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pate Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Pate Elementary is 12.8:1, which is 10% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 18% 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 Pate Elementary?
100.0% of students at Pate Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pate Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Pate Elementary is African American at 58.7% of enrollment, in Darlington, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pate Elementary?
Pate Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower 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 Pate Elementary rank among schools in Darlington?
By Resource Investment Index, Pate Elementary ranks #3 of 3 schools in Darlington, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Darlington on the city page.
Is Pate Elementary a good school?
Pate Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median. 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 Darlington 01?
Besides Pate Elementary, Darlington 01 also operates Hartsville High (1,129 students), Darlington High (965 students), and Darlington Middle (888 students). See the Darlington 01 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.