Enrollment
704
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fort Mill, SC
River Trail Elementary
Federal NCES profile for River Trail Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450390001734
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 95
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
River Trail Elementary earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median.
- #5 of 5
- schools in Fort Mill · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 11.8%
- free-lunch eligible
River Trail Elementary has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, River Trail Elementary ranks #5 of 5 schools in Fort Mill, SC.
School address
District: York 04 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450390001734 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
54.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.8%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-84% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How River Trail Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at River Trail Elementary
River Trail Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Fort Mill, South Carolina, enrolling 704 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.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 11.8% free-meal eligibility runs 84% below the South Carolina average.
Enrollment of 704 puts it in the larger third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 68 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #25.
Its student body is led by White (68%) and Hispanic or Latino (11%) (diversity index 51/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 704 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 2.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Fort Mill's public schools, it stands alongside Kings Town Elementary (809 students): River Trail Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13:1 vs 13:1).
York 04 also operates Fort Mill High (2,115 students) and Nation Ford High (1,921 students) alongside River Trail 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 River Trail Elementary compares
River Trail 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 | ▼ 9% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.8% | ▼ 84% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 704 | top 32% | - | - |
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.
704
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
11.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 84% 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
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
2.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$11,810
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 704 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.8 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 67.9%
Hispanic or Latino 11.1%
African American 7.7%
Two or More 6.8%
Asian 6.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 67.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.2, River Trail Elementary is about as mixed as the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for York 04, which includes River Trail Elementary.
$11,810
Per student
-19%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.2%
State 44.3%
Federal 7.5%
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 River Trail Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Mill High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Nation Ford High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Catawba Ridge High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pleasant Knoll Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gold Hill Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to River Trail Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,115
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,921
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 1,704
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 916
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 877
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
Similar other schools in Fort Mill
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Kings Town Elementary
Standard public school
809 students 13:1 students per teacher
Sugar Creek Elementary
Standard public school
755 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Fort Mill Elementary
Standard public school
729 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
Riverview Elementary
Standard public school
711 students 12.9:1 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 (~704 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on River Trail Elementary's federal record.
- Compare River Trail Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- York 04'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 River Trail Elementary
How many students attend River Trail Elementary?
River Trail Elementary has 704 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fort Mill, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at River Trail Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at River Trail Elementary 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 River Trail Elementary?
11.8% of students at River Trail Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of River Trail Elementary?
The largest demographic group at River Trail Elementary is White at 67.9% of enrollment, in Fort Mill, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for River Trail Elementary?
River Trail Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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 River Trail Elementary rank among schools in Fort Mill?
By Resource Investment Index, River Trail Elementary ranks #5 of 5 schools in Fort Mill, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Fort Mill on the city page.
Is River Trail Elementary a good school?
River Trail Elementary earns 53/100 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 York 04?
Besides River Trail Elementary, York 04 also operates Fort Mill High (2,115 students), Nation Ford High (1,921 students), and Catawba Ridge High School (1,704 students). See the York 04 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.