Enrollment
400
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 450273000733
Saluda River Academy for the Arts — West Columbia, SC
Federal NCES profile for Saluda River Academy for the Arts, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 53
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: Lexington 02 · 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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Saluda River Academy for the Arts 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 River Academy for the Arts reports 400 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% below the South Carolina state mean of 14.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 25% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% above the South Carolina average and 93% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 400 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lexington 02 spends $16,747 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 41.1% from local sources (property taxes), 41.7% 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 49/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 River Academy for the Arts 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 | 11.9:1 | ▼ 17% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 400 | top 29% | — | — |
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
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
11.9:1
students per teacher
— 17% below state mean
Top 18% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
18.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,747
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 400 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 400 Top 29% in South Carolina — larger than 71% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 11.9:1 -17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +35% vs state
NCES ID 450273000733
Student demographics
White 38.5%
African American 29.3%
Hispanic or Latino 20.5%
Two or More 7.3%
Asian 3.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.3%
Largest group: White at 38.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 400:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.8%
In-school suspensions 10
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lexington 02, which includes Saluda River Academy for the Arts.
$16,747
Per student
-3%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 41.1%
State 41.7%
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
- 1,272
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,212
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 996
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 977
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 938
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
Similar elementary schools in West Columbia
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 River Academy for the Arts
How many students attend Saluda River Academy for the Arts?
Saluda River Academy for the Arts has 400 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in West Columbia, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Saluda River Academy for the Arts?
The student-teacher ratio at Saluda River Academy for the Arts is 11.9:1, which is 17% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Saluda River Academy for the Arts?
100.0% of students at Saluda River Academy for the Arts are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Saluda River Academy for the Arts?
The largest demographic group at Saluda River Academy for the Arts is White at 38.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in West Columbia, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Saluda River Academy for the Arts?
Saluda River Academy for the Arts has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.