Enrollment
924
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 450087000094
Pendleton High — Anderson, SC
Federal NCES profile for Pendleton High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 37
📚 AP courses 20
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 12
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 04 · 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)
56.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pendleton High 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
Pendleton High reports 924 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 56.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% above the South Carolina state mean of 14.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 27% below the South Carolina average and 4% above the national baseline. The school offers 4 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 308 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 35.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Anderson 04 spends $15,497 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 46.0% from local sources (property taxes), 40.9% from the state, and 13.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Pendleton High 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 | 15.7:1 | ▲ 10% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.0% | ▼ 27% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 924 | top 84% | — | — |
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
54.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 27% 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
15.7:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 72% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
35.2%
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
$15,497
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 308 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
161
in-school suspensions + 64 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 924 Top 84% in South Carolina — larger than 16% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 56.0
Students per teacher 15.7:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.0% -27% vs state
NCES ID 450087000094
Student demographics
White 73.4%
African American 15.4%
Two or More 5.2%
Hispanic or Latino 4.4%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 73.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 4
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 308:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 35.2%
In-school suspensions 161
Out-of-school suspensions 64
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Anderson 04, which includes Pendleton High.
$15,497
Per student
-10%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 46.0%
State 40.9%
Federal 13.1%
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
- 547
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 459
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 453
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 450
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 243
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
Similar high schools in Anderson
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 Pendleton High
How many students attend Pendleton High?
Pendleton High has 924 students enrolled. It is a high school in Anderson, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pendleton High?
The student-teacher ratio at Pendleton High is 15.7:1, which is 10% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pendleton High?
54.0% of students at Pendleton High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pendleton High?
The largest demographic group at Pendleton High is White at 73.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Anderson, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pendleton High?
Pendleton High has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.