Enrollment
46
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 450336000957
Pendergrass Fairwold School — Columbia, SC
Federal NCES profile for Pendergrass Fairwold School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 90
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 91
📋 Attendance 0
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: Richland 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)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
2.4:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-83% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.5%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pendergrass Fairwold School 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
Pendergrass Fairwold School reports 46 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 2.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 83% 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 85% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 93.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 26% above the South Carolina average and 81% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 46 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 45.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Richland 01 spends $22,848 per pupil district-wide, above the South Carolina average of $17,182 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 58.1% from local sources (property taxes), 28.3% 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 53/100 (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 Pendergrass Fairwold School 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 | 2.4:1 | ▼ 83% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.5% | ▲ 26% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 46 | top 1% | — | — |
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
93.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 26% 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
2.4:1
students per teacher
— 83% below state mean
Top 1% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
45.7%
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
$22,848
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 46 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 46 Top 1% in South Carolina — larger than 99% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 2.4:1 -83% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 93.5% +26% vs state
NCES ID 450336000957
Student demographics
African American 80.4%
White 8.7%
Hispanic or Latino 6.5%
Two or More 4.3%
Largest group: African American at 80.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 46:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 45.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richland 01, which includes Pendergrass Fairwold School.
$22,848
Per student
+33%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
+17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 58.1%
State 28.3%
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
- 1,328
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,218
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,144
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 952
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 805
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
Similar other schools in Columbia
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Sc Connections Academy
Standard public school
6,152 students 28.3:1 students per teacher
Brennen Elementary
Standard public school
805 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Rice Creek Elementary
Standard public school
718 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Caughman Road Elementary
Standard public school
715 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Killian Elementary
Standard public school
699 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Sandlapper Elementary
Standard public school
671 students 14:1 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 Pendergrass Fairwold School
How many students attend Pendergrass Fairwold School?
Pendergrass Fairwold School has 46 students enrolled. It is a other school in Columbia, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pendergrass Fairwold School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pendergrass Fairwold School is 2.4:1, which is 83% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 85% 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 Pendergrass Fairwold School?
93.5% of students at Pendergrass Fairwold School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pendergrass Fairwold School?
The largest demographic group at Pendergrass Fairwold School is African American at 80.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Columbia, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pendergrass Fairwold School?
Pendergrass Fairwold School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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.