Enrollment
797
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 450117001681
Philip Simmons High — Charleston, SC
Federal NCES profile for Philip Simmons High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 42
📚 AP courses 70
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 37
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: Berkeley 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)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
18.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-76% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Philip Simmons 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
Philip Simmons High reports 797 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 53.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 18.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 76% below the South Carolina average and 65% below the national baseline. The school offers 14 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 399 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Berkeley 01 spends $13,148 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 43.7% from local sources (property taxes), 43.0% from the state, and 13.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), 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 Philip Simmons 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 | 14.5:1 | ▲ 1% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 18.0% | ▼ 76% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 797 | top 76% | — | — |
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
18.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 76% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.5:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 56% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
25.1%
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
$13,148
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 399 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
80
in-school suspensions + 48 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 797 Top 76% in South Carolina — larger than 24% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 53.0
Students per teacher 14.5:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 18.0% -76% vs state
NCES ID 450117001681
Student demographics
White 68.5%
African American 21.3%
Hispanic or Latino 4.4%
Two or More 3.9%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 68.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 14
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 399:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.1%
In-school suspensions 80
Out-of-school suspensions 48
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Berkeley 01, which includes Philip Simmons High.
$13,148
Per student
-23%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,605
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,412
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 2,047
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,973
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,477
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
Similar high schools in Charleston
4 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
West Ashley High
Standard public school
2,069 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
James Island Charter High
Standard public school
1,612 students 15:1 students per teacher
Charleston Advancement Academy High School
Standard public school
424 students 38.5:1 students per teacher
Burke High
Standard public school
342 students 6:1 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 Philip Simmons High
How many students attend Philip Simmons High?
Philip Simmons High has 797 students enrolled. It is a high school in Charleston, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Philip Simmons High?
The student-teacher ratio at Philip Simmons High is 14.5:1, which is 1% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Philip Simmons High?
18.0% of students at Philip Simmons High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Philip Simmons High?
The largest demographic group at Philip Simmons High is White at 68.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Charleston, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Philip Simmons High?
Philip Simmons High has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) 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.