Enrollment
228
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Lamar, SC
Spaulding Middle
Federal NCES profile for Spaulding Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 450186000374
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Spaulding Middle earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of South Carolina schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Lamar · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.4:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Spaulding Middle has class sizes smaller than 84% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Spaulding Middle ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Lamar, SC.
School address
District: Darlington 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450186000374 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Spaulding Middle compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Spaulding Middle
Spaulding Middle is a high-poverty, small middle school in Lamar, South Carolina, enrolling 228 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.4:1 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.
Enrollment of 228 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 1,214 South Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 118 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #17.
Its student body is led by African American (50%) and White (34%) (diversity index 62/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 228 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 21.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 206 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 228 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Darlington 01 also operates Hartsville High (1,129 students) and Darlington High (965 students) alongside Spaulding 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 Spaulding Middle compares
Spaulding 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 | 11.4:1 | ▼ 20% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 228 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.4:1
Leaner classes than 80% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
228
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
- 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
11.4:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 16% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.2%
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
$16,032
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 228 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
133
in-school suspensions + 73 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 58.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 90.4 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
African American 50.4%
White 33.8%
Two or More 9.6%
Hispanic or Latino 5.7%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 50.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.9, Spaulding 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 Darlington 01, which includes Spaulding Middle.
$16,032
Per student
+10%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.6%
State 40.1%
Federal 21.4%
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 Spaulding Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartsville High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Darlington High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Darlington Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hartsville Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| St. John's Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Spaulding Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,129
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 965
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 888
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 801
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 596
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
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 (~228 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Spaulding Middle's federal record.
- Compare Spaulding Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Darlington 01'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 Spaulding Middle
How many students attend Spaulding Middle?
Spaulding Middle has 228 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Lamar, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Spaulding Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Spaulding Middle is 11.4:1, which is 20% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 27% 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 Spaulding Middle?
100.0% of students at Spaulding Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Spaulding Middle?
The largest demographic group at Spaulding Middle is African American at 50.4% of enrollment, in Lamar, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Spaulding Middle?
Spaulding Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher 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).
How does Spaulding Middle rank among public schools in Lamar?
By Resource Investment Index, Spaulding Middle ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Lamar, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Lamar on the city page.
Is Spaulding Middle a good school?
Spaulding Middle earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% 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 Darlington 01?
Besides Spaulding Middle, Darlington 01 also operates Hartsville High (1,129 students), Darlington High (965 students), and Darlington Middle (888 students). See the Darlington 01 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.