Middle school (grades 6-8) · Pelion, SC

Pelion Middle

Federal NCES profile for Pelion Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 450270000583
0/100100/10047/100
👥 S:T ratio
53
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
66
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Pelion Middle earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of South Carolina schools.

#2 of 4
public schools in Pelion · Resource Index
47
Resource Index · Typical
11.7:1
small classes for South Carolina
100.0%
free-lunch eligible

Pelion Middle has class sizes smaller than 81% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Pelion Middle ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Pelion, SC.

School address

Enrollment

513

South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

44.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

11.7:1

vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg

-18% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

100.0%

vs 74.0% South Carolina avg

+35% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Pelion Middle compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Pelion Middle

Pelion Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Pelion, South Carolina, enrolling 513 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.7:1 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.

With 513 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Carolina median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.

Against 384 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #92.

Its student body is led by White (68%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 49/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 171 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 53.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Discipline events run high: 127 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 513 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

The federal civil-rights collection also records 32 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.

Lexington 01 also operates Lexington High (2,536 students) and River Bluff High (2,117 students) alongside Pelion Middle.

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 Pelion Middle compares

Pelion Middle 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 11.7:1 ▼ 18% 14.3:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% ▲ 35% 74.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 513 top 55% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

11.7:1
Leaner classes than 78% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
513
Bigger than 63% 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
11.7:1
students per teacher - 18% below state mean
Top 19% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
53.6%
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
$13,017
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 171 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
67
in-school suspensions + 60 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 32 expulsions.

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 67.8%
Hispanic or Latino 20.7%
Two or More 6.2%
African American 5.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%

Largest group: White at 67.8% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 49.1/100

Simpson diversity index - at 49.1, Pelion Middle is less mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lexington 01, which includes Pelion Middle.

$13,017
Per student
-11%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.8%
State 51.0%
Federal 8.2%

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.

How Pelion Middle Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Lexington High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
River Bluff High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
White Knoll High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Gilbert High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Beechwood Middle Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Pelion Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Lexington 01 · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar middle 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Pelion Middle's federal record.

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 Pelion Middle

How many students attend Pelion Middle?

Pelion Middle has 513 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Pelion, SC.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Pelion Middle?

The student-teacher ratio at Pelion Middle is 11.7:1, which is 18% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 25% 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 Pelion Middle?

100.0% of students at Pelion Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pelion Middle?

The largest demographic group at Pelion Middle is White at 67.8% of enrollment, in Pelion, SC.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Pelion Middle?

Pelion Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical 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 Pelion Middle rank among public schools in Pelion?

By Resource Investment Index, Pelion Middle ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Pelion, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Pelion on the city page.

Is Pelion Middle a good school?

Pelion Middle earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% 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 Lexington 01?

Besides Pelion Middle, Lexington 01 also operates Lexington High (2,536 students), River Bluff High (2,117 students), and White Knoll High (2,025 students). See the Lexington 01 district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.