Enrollment
1,349
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 450072001202
South Aiken High — Aiken, SC
Federal NCES profile for South Aiken High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 29
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 0
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: Aiken 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)
76.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.6%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Aiken High 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
South Aiken High reports 1,349 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 76.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 24% above the South Carolina state mean of 14.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 12% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 38.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% below the South Carolina average and 25% below the national baseline. The school offers 22 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 270 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 40.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Aiken 01 spends $14,610 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 39.3% from local sources (property taxes), 45.4% from the state, and 15.3% 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 5 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 South Aiken High 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 | 17.8:1 | ▲ 24% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.6% | ▼ 48% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,349 | top 94% | — | — |
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
38.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.8:1
students per teacher
— 24% above state mean
Top 91% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
40.3%
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
$14,610
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 270 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
222
in-school suspensions + 198 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 31.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,349 Top 94% in South Carolina — larger than 6% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 76.0
Students per teacher 17.8:1 +24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 38.6% -48% vs state
NCES ID 450072001202
Student demographics
White 48.8%
African American 30.7%
Hispanic or Latino 11.6%
Two or More 7.0%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 48.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 22
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 270:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 40.3%
In-school suspensions 222
Out-of-school suspensions 198
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Aiken 01, which includes South Aiken High.
$14,610
Per student
-15%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,645
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,558
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,097
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Enrollment
- 756
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 708
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
Similar high schools in Aiken
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 South Aiken High
How many students attend South Aiken High?
South Aiken High has 1,349 students enrolled. It is a high school in Aiken, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Aiken High?
The student-teacher ratio at South Aiken High is 17.8:1, which is 24% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 12% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Aiken High?
38.6% of students at South Aiken High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Aiken High?
The largest demographic group at South Aiken High is White at 48.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Aiken, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Aiken High?
South Aiken High has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.