Enrollment
509
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · St. Matthews, SC
St. Matthews K-8 School
Federal NCES profile for St. Matthews K-8 School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450125001532
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 1
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
St. Matthews K-8 School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of South Carolina schools.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.1:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 509
- students enrolled
St. Matthews K-8 School has class sizes smaller than 78% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Calhoun 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450125001532 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How St. Matthews K-8 School compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at St. Matthews K-8 School
St. Matthews K-8 School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in St. Matthews, South Carolina, enrolling 509 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.1:1 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.
With 509 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 384 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #168.
Its student body is led by African American (74%) and White (15%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 255 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 125 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 509 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Calhoun 01 also operates Sandy Run School (559 students) and Calhoun County High (397 students) alongside St. Matthews K-8 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 St. Matthews K-8 School compares
St. Matthews K-8 School 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 | 12.1:1 | ▼ 15% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 509 | top 55% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.1:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
509
Bigger than 63% 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
12.1:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 22% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
39.5%
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
$15,269
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 255 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
71
in-school suspensions + 54 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
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 73.7%
White 14.9%
Hispanic or Latino 9.6%
Two or More 0.8%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 73.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.5, St. Matthews K-8 School is less mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Calhoun 01, which includes St. Matthews K-8 School.
$15,269
Per student
+5%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.3%
State 41.8%
Federal 19.9%
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 St. Matthews K-8 School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Run School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Calhoun County High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to St. Matthews K-8 School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 559
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 397
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar other 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 (~509 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on St. Matthews K-8 School's federal record.
- Compare St. Matthews K-8 School against another school. Compare schools
- Calhoun 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 St. Matthews K-8 School
How many students attend St. Matthews K-8 School?
St. Matthews K-8 School has 509 students enrolled. It is a public school in St. Matthews, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at St. Matthews K-8 School?
The student-teacher ratio at St. Matthews K-8 School is 12.1:1, which is 15% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 23% 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 St. Matthews K-8 School?
100.0% of students at St. Matthews K-8 School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of St. Matthews K-8 School?
The largest demographic group at St. Matthews K-8 School is African American at 73.7% of enrollment, in St. Matthews, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for St. Matthews K-8 School?
St. Matthews K-8 School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 St. Matthews K-8 School a good school?
St. Matthews K-8 School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% 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 Calhoun 01?
Besides St. Matthews K-8 School, Calhoun 01 also operates Sandy Run School (559 students) and Calhoun County High (397 students). See the Calhoun 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.