Enrollment
535
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Wando, SC
Philip Simmons Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Philip Simmons Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450117001671
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Philip Simmons Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of South Carolina schools.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.7:1
- large classes for South Carolina
- 16.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 535
- students enrolled
Philip Simmons Elementary has class sizes larger than 72% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Berkeley 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450117001671 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.8%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-77% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Philip Simmons Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Philip Simmons Elementary
Philip Simmons Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Wando, South Carolina, enrolling 535 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.7:1 puts it in the larger third of South Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 16.8% free-meal eligibility runs 77% below the South Carolina average.
With 535 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.
Among 48 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #41, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and African American (13%) (diversity index 40/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 535 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Berkeley 01 spends $11,201 per pupil, 23% below the South Carolina average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Berkeley 01 also operates Stratford High (2,605 students) and Cane Bay High (2,412 students) alongside Philip Simmons 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 Philip Simmons Elementary compares
Philip Simmons 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 | 15.7:1 | ▲ 10% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.8% | ▼ 77% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 535 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.7:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
535
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
16.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 77% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.7:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 72% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,201
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 535 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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
White 76.1%
African American 13.1%
Two or More 5.4%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 76.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.8, Philip Simmons Elementary is less mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Berkeley 01, which includes Philip Simmons Elementary.
$11,201
Per student
-23%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.7%
State 43.0%
Federal 13.3%
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 Philip Simmons Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stratford High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cane Bay High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Berkeley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Goose Creek High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Berkeley Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Philip Simmons Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,605
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 2,412
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 2,047
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,973
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,477
- Students per teacher
- 24.2:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
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 (~535 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Philip Simmons Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Philip Simmons Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Berkeley 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 Philip Simmons Elementary
How many students attend Philip Simmons Elementary?
Philip Simmons Elementary has 535 students enrolled. It is a public school in Wando, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Philip Simmons Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Philip Simmons Elementary is 15.7:1, which is 10% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Philip Simmons Elementary?
16.8% of students at Philip Simmons Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Philip Simmons Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Philip Simmons Elementary is White at 76.1% of enrollment, in Wando, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Philip Simmons Elementary?
Philip Simmons Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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).
Is Philip Simmons Elementary a good school?
Philip Simmons Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% 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 Berkeley 01?
Besides Philip Simmons Elementary, Berkeley 01 also operates Stratford High (2,605 students), Cane Bay High (2,412 students), and Berkeley High (2,047 students). See the Berkeley 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.