Enrollment
275
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Lake City, SC
Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High
Federal NCES profile for Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 450219001647
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of South Carolina schools.
- #5 of 5
- public schools in Lake City · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High has class sizes smaller than 79% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Lake City, SC.
School address
District: Florence 03 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450219001647 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High
Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High is a high-poverty, small middle school in Lake City, South Carolina, enrolling 275 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12:1 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 275 puts it in the smaller 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 189 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #131.
Its student body is predominantly African American (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 275 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 57.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 30.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 154 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 275 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Florence 03 also operates Lake City High (492 students) and Scranton Elementary (389 students) alongside Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High.
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 Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High compares
Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High 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 | 12:1 | ▼ 16% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 275 | top 86% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
275
Bigger than 29% 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
12:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 21% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
57.5%
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
$14,580
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 275 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 142 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 56.0 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.
Student demographics
African American 82.2%
White 7.6%
Hispanic or Latino 6.9%
Two or More 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 82.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.3, Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High is less mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Florence 03, which includes Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High.
$14,580
Per student
+0%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.8%
State 49.8%
Federal 30.4%
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 Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake City High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Scranton Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| J. Paul Truluck Creative Arts and Science Magnet | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lake City Early Childhood Center | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| J. C. Lynch Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 492
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 389
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 385
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 357
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 353
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar middle 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 (~275 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High's federal record.
- Compare Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High against another school. Compare schools
- Florence 03'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 Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High
How many students attend Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High?
Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High has 275 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Lake City, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High?
The student-teacher ratio at Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High is 12:1, which is 16% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 24% 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 Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High?
100.0% of students at Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High?
The largest demographic group at Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High is African American at 82.2% of enrollment, in Lake City, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High?
Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High 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 Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High rank among public schools in Lake City?
By Resource Investment Index, Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Lake City, 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 Lake City on the city page.
Is Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High a good school?
Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% 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 Florence 03?
Besides Ronald E. Mcnair Jr. High, Florence 03 also operates Lake City High (492 students), Scranton Elementary (389 students), and J. Paul Truluck Creative Arts and Science Magnet (385 students). See the Florence 03 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.