Enrollment
300
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Ridgeland, SC
Polaris Tech Charter School
Federal NCES profile for Polaris Tech Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450390101698Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Polaris Tech Charter School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median.
- #1 of 3
- schools in Ridgeland · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Polaris Tech Charter School has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Polaris Tech Charter School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Ridgeland, SC.
School address
District: Sc Public Charter School District · South Carolina
NCES ID 450390101698 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Polaris Tech Charter School compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Polaris Tech Charter School
Polaris Tech Charter School is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Ridgeland, South Carolina, enrolling 300 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13:1 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 100.0% lands close to the South Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 300 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 233 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #165.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 300 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Sc Public Charter School District spends $22,523 per pupil, 55% above the South Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Ridgeland's public schools, it stands alongside Ridgeland Elementary (775 students): Polaris Tech Charter School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13:1 vs 17.2:1).
Sc Public Charter School District also operates York Preparatory Academy (1,672 students) and Legacy Early College (1,592 students) alongside Polaris Tech Charter School.
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 Polaris Tech Charter School compares
Polaris Tech Charter School 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 | ▼ 9% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 300 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
300
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% above the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 35% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
43.3%
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
$22,523
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 300 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.0 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sc Public Charter School District, which includes Polaris Tech Charter School.
$22,523
Per student
+55%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
+36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 5.8%
State 80.6%
Federal 13.6%
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 Polaris Tech Charter School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| York Preparatory Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Legacy Early College | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bridges Preparatory School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| High Point Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Green Charter School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Polaris Tech Charter School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,672
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 1,592
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,472
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,208
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 998
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar other schools in Ridgeland
2 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 (~300 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Polaris Tech Charter School's federal record.
- Compare Polaris Tech Charter School against another school. Compare schools
- Sc Public Charter School District'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 Polaris Tech Charter School
How many students attend Polaris Tech Charter School?
Polaris Tech Charter School has 300 students enrolled. It is a public school in Ridgeland, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Polaris Tech Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Polaris Tech Charter School is 13:1, which is 9% 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 Polaris Tech Charter School?
100.0% of students at Polaris Tech Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Polaris Tech Charter School?
Polaris Tech Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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).
How does Polaris Tech Charter School rank among schools in Ridgeland?
By Resource Investment Index, Polaris Tech Charter School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Ridgeland, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Ridgeland on the city page.
Is Polaris Tech Charter School a good school?
Polaris Tech Charter School earns 40/100 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 Sc Public Charter School District?
Besides Polaris Tech Charter School, Sc Public Charter School District also operates York Preparatory Academy (1,672 students), Legacy Early College (1,592 students), and Bridges Preparatory School (1,472 students). See the Sc Public Charter School District district page for the complete list.
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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.