Enrollment
479
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 450336000931
Sandel Elementary — Columbia, SC
Federal NCES profile for Sandel Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 3
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: Richland 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)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sandel Elementary 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
Sandel Elementary reports 479 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 35.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% 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 14% 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 240 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Richland 01 spends $22,848 per pupil district-wide, above the South Carolina average of $17,182 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 58.1% from local sources (property taxes), 28.3% from the state, and 13.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Sandel Elementary 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 | 13.6:1 | ▼ 5% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 479 | top 41% | — | — |
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
13.6:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 42% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
38.8%
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
$22,848
per pupil, district-wide
— above South Carolina avg of $17,182
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 240 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 479 Top 41% in South Carolina — larger than 59% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 35.0
Students per teacher 13.6:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +35% vs state
NCES ID 450336000931
Student demographics
African American 78.3%
Hispanic or Latino 12.3%
Two or More 4.4%
Asian 3.5%
White 1.5%
Largest group: African American at 78.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 240:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.8%
In-school suspensions 13
Out-of-school suspensions 26
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richland 01, which includes Sandel Elementary.
$22,848
Per student
+33%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
+17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 58.1%
State 28.3%
Federal 13.6%
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
- 1,328
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,218
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,144
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 952
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 805
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
Similar other schools in Columbia
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Sc Connections Academy
Standard public school
6,152 students 28.3:1 students per teacher
Brennen Elementary
Standard public school
805 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Rice Creek Elementary
Standard public school
718 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Caughman Road Elementary
Standard public school
715 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Killian Elementary
Standard public school
699 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Sandlapper Elementary
Standard public school
671 students 14:1 students per teacher
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 Sandel Elementary
How many students attend Sandel Elementary?
Sandel Elementary has 479 students enrolled. It is a other school in Columbia, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sandel Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sandel Elementary is 13.6:1, which is 5% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 14% 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 Sandel Elementary?
100.0% of students at Sandel Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sandel Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Sandel Elementary is African American at 78.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Columbia, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sandel Elementary?
Sandel Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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.