Enrollment
230
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Church Creek, MD
South Dorchester School
Federal NCES profile for South Dorchester School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 240030000622
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Dorchester School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland schools.
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.3:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 230
- students enrolled
South Dorchester School has class sizes near the Maryland median. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Dorchester County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240030000622 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
+104% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Dorchester School compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at South Dorchester School
South Dorchester School is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Church Creek, Maryland, enrolling 230 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 100.0% of students qualify for free meals, 104% above the Maryland average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 92% of Maryland schools, with 230 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Against 28 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #13.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 230 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Dorchester County Public Schools also operates Cambridge-South Dorchester High School (811 students) and North Dorchester High School (526 students) alongside South Dorchester School.
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 South Dorchester School compares
South Dorchester School on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.3:1 | ▲ 6% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 104% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 230 | top 92% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
230
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 104% above the Maryland average of 49.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.3:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 61% in Maryland - lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
40.4%
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
$24,096
per pupil, district-wide
- above Maryland avg of $20,446
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 230 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 85.7%
Hispanic or Latino 4.8%
Two or More 4.8%
African American 3.0%
Asian 1.7%
Largest group: White at 85.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.0, South Dorchester School is less mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dorchester County Public Schools, which includes South Dorchester School.
$24,096
Per student
+18%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+45%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.8%
State 65.2%
Federal 15.0%
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.
How South Dorchester School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge-South Dorchester High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Dorchester High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mace's Lane Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Maple Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| North Dorchester Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Dorchester School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 811
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 526
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 483
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 414
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~230 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Dorchester School's federal record.
- Compare South Dorchester School against another school. Compare schools
- Dorchester County Public Schools'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 South Dorchester School
How many students attend South Dorchester School?
South Dorchester School has 230 students enrolled. It is a public school in Church Creek, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Dorchester School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Dorchester School is 15.3:1, which is 6% higher than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Dorchester School?
100.0% of students at South Dorchester School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Dorchester School?
The largest demographic group at South Dorchester School is White at 85.7% of enrollment, in Church Creek, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Dorchester School?
South Dorchester School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical 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 South Dorchester School a good school?
South Dorchester School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland 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 Dorchester County Public Schools?
Besides South Dorchester School, Dorchester County Public Schools also operates Cambridge-South Dorchester High School (811 students), North Dorchester High School (526 students), and Mace's Lane Middle School (490 students). See the Dorchester County Public Schools 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.