Enrollment
850
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 450249000246
Socastee Elementary — Myrtle Beach, SC
Federal NCES profile for Socastee Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 68
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: Horry 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)
57.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Socastee 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
Socastee Elementary reports 850 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 57.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% 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 12% 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 213 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Horry 01 spends $14,530 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 47.9% from local sources (property taxes), 36.1% from the state, and 16.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+), 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 Socastee 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 | 14:1 | ▼ 2% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 850 | top 80% | — | — |
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
14:1
students per teacher
— 2% below state mean
Top 48% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
12.8%
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
$14,530
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 213 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
62
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 850 Top 80% in South Carolina — larger than 20% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 57.0
Students per teacher 14:1 -2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +35% vs state
NCES ID 450249000246
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 47.8%
White 32.4%
African American 11.9%
Two or More 5.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 47.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 213:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.8%
In-school suspensions 62
Out-of-school suspensions 18
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Horry 01, which includes Socastee Elementary.
$14,530
Per student
-15%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 47.9%
State 36.1%
Federal 16.0%
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
- 3,176
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,826
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,724
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,720
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,673
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
Similar other schools in Myrtle Beach
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
River Oaks Elementary
Standard public school
1,426 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Carolina Forest Elementary
Standard public school
1,336 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Ocean Bay Elementary
Standard public school
1,181 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Forestbrook Elementary
Standard public school
930 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
St. James Elementary
Standard public school
884 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Lakewood Elementary
Standard public school
866 students 15.4:1 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 Socastee Elementary
How many students attend Socastee Elementary?
Socastee Elementary has 850 students enrolled. It is a other school in Myrtle Beach, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Socastee Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Socastee Elementary is 14:1, which is 2% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 12% 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 Socastee Elementary?
100.0% of students at Socastee Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Socastee Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Socastee Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 47.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Myrtle Beach, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Socastee Elementary?
Socastee Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+) 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.