Enrollment
880
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Elgin, SC
Pontiac Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Pontiac Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450339001442
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pontiac Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of South Carolina schools.
- #4 of 5
- schools in Elgin · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.3:1
- large classes for South Carolina
- 67.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Pontiac Elementary has class sizes larger than 78% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pontiac Elementary ranks #4 of 5 schools in Elgin, SC.
School address
District: Richland 02 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450339001442 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
54.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.5%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pontiac Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pontiac Elementary
Pontiac Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Elgin, South Carolina, enrolling 880 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.3:1 puts it in the larger third of South Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 67.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 880 puts it in the larger third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 159 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #79.
Its student body is led by African American (57%) and White (16%) (diversity index 62/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 880 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Elgin's public schools, it stands alongside Blaney Elementary (750 students): Pontiac Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.3:1 vs 16.7:1).
Richland 02 also operates Spring Valley High (2,230 students) and Blythewood High (2,164 students) alongside Pontiac 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 Pontiac Elementary compares
Pontiac 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 | 16.3:1 | ▲ 14% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.5% | ▼ 9% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 880 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
880
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
67.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% below 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
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 14% above state mean
Top 78% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$13,517
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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 880 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 33 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.9 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
African American 57.2%
White 16.3%
Hispanic or Latino 14.7%
Two or More 8.0%
Asian 3.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 57.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.7, Pontiac Elementary is more mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richland 02, which includes Pontiac Elementary.
$13,517
Per student
-7%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.0%
State 47.7%
Federal 10.3%
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 Pontiac Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Valley High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Blythewood High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Westwood High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ridge View High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Richland Northeast High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pontiac Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,230
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 2,164
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,743
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,631
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 1,340
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar other schools in Elgin
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Blaney Elementary
Standard public school
750 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Catawba Trail Elementary
Standard public school
636 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Bridge Creek Elementary
Standard public school
564 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Bookman Road Elementary
Standard public school
535 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
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 (~880 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pontiac Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Pontiac Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Richland 02'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 Pontiac Elementary
How many students attend Pontiac Elementary?
Pontiac Elementary has 880 students enrolled. It is a public school in Elgin, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pontiac Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Pontiac Elementary is 16.3:1, which is 14% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pontiac Elementary?
67.5% of students at Pontiac Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pontiac Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Pontiac Elementary is African American at 57.2% of enrollment, in Elgin, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pontiac Elementary?
Pontiac Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Pontiac Elementary rank among schools in Elgin?
By Resource Investment Index, Pontiac Elementary ranks #4 of 5 schools in Elgin, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Elgin on the city page.
Is Pontiac Elementary a good school?
Pontiac Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% 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 Richland 02?
Besides Pontiac Elementary, Richland 02 also operates Spring Valley High (2,230 students), Blythewood High (2,164 students), and Westwood High (1,743 students). See the Richland 02 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.