High school (grades 9-12) · Aiken, SC

Silver Bluff High

Federal NCES profile for Silver Bluff High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 450072001323
0/100100/10041/100
👥 S:T ratio
28
📚 AP courses
55
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
50
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Silver Bluff High earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of South Carolina schools.

#3 of 4
high schools in Aiken · Resource Index
41
Resource Index · Typical
18:1
large classes for South Carolina
62.1%
free-lunch eligible

Silver Bluff High has class sizes larger than 91% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Silver Bluff High ranks #3 of 4 high schools in Aiken, SC.

School address

Enrollment

756

South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

42.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

18:1

vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg

+26% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

62.1%

vs 74.0% South Carolina avg

-16% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Silver Bluff High compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Silver Bluff High

Silver Bluff High is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Aiken, South Carolina, enrolling 756 students.

Class loads run heavy: 18:1 is larger than about 91% of South Carolina schools and 26% above the 14.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 62.1% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 756 puts it in the larger third of South Carolina schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.

Among 175 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #147, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (41%) and African American (39%) (diversity index 66/100).

On the academic-pipeline side it reports 11 Advanced Placement courses.

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 252 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Aiken 01 spends $11,604 per pupil, 20% below the South Carolina average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 15.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Discipline events run high: 256 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 756 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

The federal civil-rights collection also records 5 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.

Among Aiken's high schools, it stands alongside South Aiken High (1,349 students): Silver Bluff High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18:1 vs 17.8:1).

Aiken 01 also operates North Augusta High (1,645 students) and Midland Valley High (1,558 students) alongside Silver Bluff High.

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 Silver Bluff High compares

Silver Bluff High 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 18:1 ▲ 26% 14.3:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 62.1% ▼ 16% 74.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 756 top 28% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

18:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
756
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
62.1%
free-lunch eligible - 16% 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
18:1
students per teacher - 26% above state mean
Top 91% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
39.9%
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
$11,604
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 252 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
129
in-school suspensions + 127 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 33.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.

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 41.4%
African American 39.3%
Hispanic or Latino 11.9%
Two or More 6.9%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%

Largest group: White at 41.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 65.5/100

Simpson diversity index - at 65.5, Silver Bluff High is more mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.

Programs

AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Aiken 01, which includes Silver Bluff High.

$11,604
Per student
-20%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.3%
State 45.4%
Federal 15.3%

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 Silver Bluff High Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
North Augusta High Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Midland Valley High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
South Aiken High Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Aiken High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Byrd Elementary Similar size Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Silver Bluff High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Aiken 01 · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar high schools in Aiken

3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.

Similar high 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Silver Bluff High's federal record.

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 Silver Bluff High

How many students attend Silver Bluff High?

Silver Bluff High has 756 students enrolled. It is a high school in Aiken, SC.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Silver Bluff High?

The student-teacher ratio at Silver Bluff High is 18:1, which is 26% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Silver Bluff High?

62.1% of students at Silver Bluff High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Silver Bluff High?

The largest demographic group at Silver Bluff High is White at 41.4% of enrollment, in Aiken, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.5/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Silver Bluff High?

Silver Bluff High has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Silver Bluff High rank among high schools in Aiken?

By Resource Investment Index, Silver Bluff High ranks #3 of 4 high schools in Aiken, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Aiken on the city page.

Is Silver Bluff High a good school?

Silver Bluff High earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% 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 Aiken 01?

Besides Silver Bluff High, Aiken 01 also operates North Augusta High (1,645 students), Midland Valley High (1,558 students), and South Aiken High (1,349 students). See the Aiken 01 district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.