Enrollment
495
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Gaston, SC
Sandhills Middle
Federal NCES profile for Sandhills Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 450279000751
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 1
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sandhills Middle earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 70% of South Carolina schools.
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.7:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 495
- students enrolled
Sandhills Middle has class sizes smaller than 70% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Lexington 04 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450279000751 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sandhills Middle compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sandhills Middle
Sandhills Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Gaston, South Carolina, enrolling 495 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.7:1 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.
With 495 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 1,214 South Carolina schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 383 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #348, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (41%) and Hispanic or Latino (30%) (diversity index 69/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 495 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 53.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 20.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 201 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 495 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Lexington 04 also operates Swansea High (695 students) and Frances F. Mack Intermediate (515 students) alongside Sandhills Middle.
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 Sandhills Middle compares
Sandhills Middle 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 | 12.7:1 | ▼ 11% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 495 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
495
Bigger than 61% 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
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 30% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
53.1%
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
$13,530
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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 495 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
134
in-school suspensions + 67 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 27.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 40.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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
White 41.2%
Hispanic or Latino 29.5%
African American 22.4%
Two or More 6.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 41.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.9, Sandhills Middle is more mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lexington 04, which includes Sandhills Middle.
$13,530
Per student
-7%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.9%
State 52.6%
Federal 20.5%
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 Sandhills Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swansea High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Frances F. Mack Intermediate | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sandhills Primary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lexington Four Early Childhood Center | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sandhills Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sandhills Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 695
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 515
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 509
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 495
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 491
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
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 (~495 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sandhills Middle's federal record.
- Compare Sandhills Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Lexington 04'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 Sandhills Middle
How many students attend Sandhills Middle?
Sandhills Middle has 495 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Gaston, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sandhills Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Sandhills Middle is 12.7:1, which is 11% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 19% 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 Sandhills Middle?
100.0% of students at Sandhills Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sandhills Middle?
The largest demographic group at Sandhills Middle is White at 41.2% of enrollment, in Gaston, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sandhills Middle?
Sandhills Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower 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).
Is Sandhills Middle a good school?
Sandhills Middle earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 70% 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 Lexington 04?
Besides Sandhills Middle, Lexington 04 also operates Swansea High (695 students), Frances F. Mack Intermediate (515 students), and Sandhills Primary (509 students). See the Lexington 04 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.