Enrollment
2,230
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 450339000975
Spring Valley High — Columbia, SC
Federal NCES profile for Spring Valley High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 28
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 30
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: Richland 02 · 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)
122.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.9:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.6%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Spring Valley 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
Spring Valley High reports 2,230 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 122.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% 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 13% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 48.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 34% below the South Carolina average and 6% 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 319 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Richland 02 spends $18,376 per pupil district-wide, above the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 42.0% from local sources (property taxes), 47.7% from the state, and 10.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), 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 Spring Valley 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 | 17.9:1 | ▲ 25% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.6% | ▼ 34% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,230 | top 99% | — | — |
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
48.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 34% 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
17.9:1
students per teacher
— 25% above state mean
Top 92% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
28.1%
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
$18,376
per pupil, district-wide
— above South Carolina avg of $17,182
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 319 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
212
in-school suspensions + 261 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 13 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 2,230 Top 99% in South Carolina — larger than 1% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 122.0
Students per teacher 17.9:1 +25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 48.6% -34% vs state
NCES ID 450339000975
Student demographics
African American 54.3%
White 18.6%
Hispanic or Latino 15.1%
Asian 6.8%
Two or More 5.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 54.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 22
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 7.0
Students per counselor 319:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.1%
In-school suspensions 212
Out-of-school suspensions 261
Expulsions 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richland 02, which includes Spring Valley High.
$18,376
Per student
+7%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 42.0%
State 47.7%
Federal 10.3%
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
- 2,164
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,743
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,631
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,340
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,275
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
Similar high schools in Columbia
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Ridge View High
Standard public school
1,631 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
Richland Northeast High
Standard public school
1,340 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
A. C. Flora High
Standard public school
1,328 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Irmo High
Standard public school
1,272 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Dreher High
Standard public school
1,144 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Columbia High
Standard public school
681 students 13.6:1 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 Spring Valley High
How many students attend Spring Valley High?
Spring Valley High has 2,230 students enrolled. It is a high school in Columbia, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Spring Valley High?
The student-teacher ratio at Spring Valley High is 17.9:1, which is 25% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Spring Valley High?
48.6% of students at Spring Valley High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Spring Valley High?
The largest demographic group at Spring Valley High is African American at 54.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Columbia, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Spring Valley High?
Spring Valley High has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) 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.