Enrollment
473
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Wando, SC
Philip Simmons Middle
Federal NCES profile for Philip Simmons Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 450117001670
👥 S:T ratio 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 5
📋 Attendance 26
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Philip Simmons Middle earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of South Carolina schools.
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.2:1
- large classes for South Carolina
- 30.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 473
- students enrolled
Philip Simmons Middle has class sizes larger than 92% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Berkeley 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450117001670 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.2:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.4%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Philip Simmons Middle compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Philip Simmons Middle
Philip Simmons Middle is a mid-sized elementary school in Wando, South Carolina, enrolling 473 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.2:1 is larger than about 92% of South Carolina schools and 27% above the 14.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 30.4% free-meal eligibility runs 59% below the South Carolina average.
With 473 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 1,214 South Carolina schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 56 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #55, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (59%) and African American (24%) (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 473 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Berkeley 01 spends $11,201 per pupil, 23% below the South Carolina average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Discipline events run high: 132 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 473 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Berkeley 01 also operates Stratford High (2,605 students) and Cane Bay High (2,412 students) alongside Philip Simmons 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 Philip Simmons Middle compares
Philip Simmons 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 | 18.2:1 | ▲ 27% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.4% | ▼ 59% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 473 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.2:1
Leaner classes than 23% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
473
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
30.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 59% 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
18.2:1
students per teacher
- 27% above state mean
Top 92% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.8%
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
$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 473 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
77
in-school suspensions + 55 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.9 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 59.4%
African American 24.3%
Two or More 8.2%
Hispanic or Latino 7.0%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 59.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.6, Philip Simmons Middle is more 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 Middle.
$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 Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stratford High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower 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 | Similar S:T ratio |
| Berkeley Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Philip Simmons Middle'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 elementary 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 (~473 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Philip Simmons Middle's federal record.
- Compare Philip Simmons Middle 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 Middle
How many students attend Philip Simmons Middle?
Philip Simmons Middle has 473 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Wando, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Philip Simmons Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Philip Simmons Middle is 18.2:1, which is 27% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Philip Simmons Middle?
30.4% of students at Philip Simmons Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Philip Simmons Middle?
The largest demographic group at Philip Simmons Middle is White at 59.4% of enrollment, in Wando, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Philip Simmons Middle?
Philip Simmons Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Middle a good school?
Philip Simmons Middle earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% 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 Middle, 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.