Enrollment
511
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Chapin, SC
Piney Woods Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Piney Woods Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450282001765
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 81
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Piney Woods Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median.
- #5 of 8
- public schools in Chapin · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.1:1
- students per teacher
- 27.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Piney Woods Elementary has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Piney Woods Elementary ranks #5 of 8 public schools in Chapin, SC.
School address
District: Lexington 05 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450282001765 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.9%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Piney Woods Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Piney Woods Elementary
Piney Woods Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Chapin, South Carolina, enrolling 511 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 27.9% free-meal eligibility runs 62% below the South Carolina average.
With 511 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 66 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #25.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 511 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Chapin's public schools, it stands alongside Chapin Elementary (767 students): Piney Woods Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.1:1 vs 12.8:1).
Lexington 05 also operates Dutch Fork High (1,703 students) and Chapin High (1,617 students) alongside Piney Woods 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 Piney Woods Elementary compares
Piney Woods 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 | 13.1:1 | ▼ 8% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.9% | ▼ 62% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 511 | top 55% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.1:1
Leaner classes than 66% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
511
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 62% 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
13.1:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 36% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
7.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$14,775
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 511 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 82.2%
Hispanic or Latino 7.0%
African American 6.1%
Two or More 3.7%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 82.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.4, Piney Woods 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 Lexington 05, which includes Piney Woods Elementary.
$14,775
Per student
+1%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.4%
State 50.2%
Federal 9.4%
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 Piney Woods Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dutch Fork High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chapin High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Irmo High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Spring Hill High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chapin Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Piney Woods Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,703
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,617
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,272
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,118
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 1,007
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar other schools in Chapin
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~511 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Piney Woods Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Piney Woods Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Lexington 05'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 Piney Woods Elementary
How many students attend Piney Woods Elementary?
Piney Woods Elementary has 511 students enrolled. It is a public school in Chapin, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Piney Woods Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Piney Woods Elementary is 13.1:1, which is 8% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Piney Woods Elementary?
27.9% of students at Piney Woods Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Piney Woods Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Piney Woods Elementary is White at 82.2% of enrollment, in Chapin, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Piney Woods Elementary?
Piney Woods Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher 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).
How does Piney Woods Elementary rank among public schools in Chapin?
By Resource Investment Index, Piney Woods Elementary ranks #5 of 8 public schools in Chapin, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Chapin on the city page.
Is Piney Woods Elementary a good school?
Piney Woods Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median. 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 Lexington 05?
Besides Piney Woods Elementary, Lexington 05 also operates Dutch Fork High (1,703 students), Chapin High (1,617 students), and Irmo High (1,272 students). See the Lexington 05 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.