Enrollment
397
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Saluda, SC
Saluda Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Saluda Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 450346000979
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 79
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Saluda Elementary earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of South Carolina schools.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Saluda · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.4:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Saluda Elementary has class sizes smaller than 74% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Saluda Elementary ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Saluda, SC.
School address
District: Saluda 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450346000979 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Saluda Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Saluda Elementary
Saluda Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Saluda, South Carolina, enrolling 397 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.4:1 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 397 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Among 337 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #21, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (56%) and African American (23%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 397 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 17.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Saluda 01 also operates Saluda High (714 students) and Saluda Middle (537 students) alongside Saluda 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 Saluda Elementary compares
Saluda 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 | 12.4:1 | ▼ 13% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 397 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
397
Bigger than 47% 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
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 26% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
8.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,073
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 397 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 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
Hispanic or Latino 56.4%
African American 23.4%
White 17.6%
Two or More 2.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 56.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.6, Saluda 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 Saluda 01, which includes Saluda Elementary.
$12,073
Per student
-17%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.3%
State 55.4%
Federal 17.2%
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 Saluda Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saluda High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Saluda Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Saluda Primary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hollywood Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Saluda Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 714
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 537
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 474
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 403
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar elementary 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 (~397 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Saluda Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Saluda Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Saluda 01'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 Saluda Elementary
How many students attend Saluda Elementary?
Saluda Elementary has 397 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Saluda, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Saluda Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Saluda Elementary is 12.4:1, which is 13% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 21% 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 Saluda Elementary?
100.0% of students at Saluda Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Saluda Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Saluda Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 56.4% of enrollment, in Saluda, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Saluda Elementary?
Saluda Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (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 Saluda Elementary rank among public schools in Saluda?
By Resource Investment Index, Saluda Elementary ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Saluda, 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 Saluda on the city page.
Is Saluda Elementary a good school?
Saluda Elementary earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% 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 Saluda 01?
Besides Saluda Elementary, Saluda 01 also operates Saluda High (714 students), Saluda Middle (537 students), and Saluda Primary (474 students). See the Saluda 01 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.