Enrollment
473
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 450117001670
Philip Simmons Middle — Wando, SC
Federal NCES profile for Philip Simmons Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 5
📋 Attendance 26
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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+15% 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
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 Middle reports 473 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% 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 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 30.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 59% below the South Carolina average and 41% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 473 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 29.8% 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 34/100 (F), 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 Philip Simmons Middle 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 | 16.5:1 | ▲ 15% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.4% | ▼ 59% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 473 | top 40% | — | — |
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
30.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 59% 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
16.5:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 81% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.8%
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
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
Enrollment 473 Top 40% in South Carolina — larger than 60% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 16.5:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 30.4% -59% vs state
NCES ID 450117001670
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 473:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 29.8%
In-school suspensions 77
Out-of-school suspensions 55
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Berkeley 01, which includes Philip Simmons Middle.
$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
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 Middle
How many students attend Philip Simmons Middle?
Philip Simmons Middle has 473 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Wando, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Philip Simmons Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Philip Simmons Middle is 16.5:1, which is 15% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Wando, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Philip Simmons Middle?
Philip Simmons Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) 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.