Enrollment
714
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 450346000982
Saluda High — Saluda, SC
Federal NCES profile for Saluda High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 39
📚 AP courses 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 50
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Saluda 01 · South Carolina
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
73.2%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Saluda High compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Saluda High reports 714 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 43.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% above the South Carolina state mean of 14.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 4% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 73.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 1% below the South Carolina average and 41% above the national baseline. The school offers 5 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 357 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Saluda 01 spends $12,371 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.3% from local sources (property taxes), 55.4% from the state, and 17.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Saluda High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against South Carolina state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs South Carolina | South Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.2:1 | ▲ 6% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.2% | ▼ 1% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 714 | top 69% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
73.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 1% 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
15.2:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 65% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,371
per pupil, district-wide
— below South Carolina avg of $17,182
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 357 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
153
in-school suspensions + 60 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 21.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 29.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 714 Top 69% in South Carolina — larger than 31% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 43.0
Students per teacher 15.2:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 73.2% -1% vs state
NCES ID 450346000982
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 44.7%
White 30.1%
African American 22.3%
Two or More 2.4%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 44.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 357:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.2%
In-school suspensions 153
Out-of-school suspensions 60
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Saluda 01, which includes Saluda High.
$12,371
Per student
-28%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 537
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 474
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 403
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 397
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Saluda High
How many students attend Saluda High?
Saluda High has 714 students enrolled. It is a high school in Saluda, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Saluda High?
The student-teacher ratio at Saluda High is 15.2:1, which is 6% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Saluda High?
73.2% of students at Saluda High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Saluda High?
The largest demographic group at Saluda High is Hispanic or Latino at 44.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Saluda, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Saluda High?
Saluda High has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.