Enrollment
720
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Johnston, SC
Strom Thurmond High
Federal NCES profile for Strom Thurmond High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 450207000413
👥 S:T ratio 34
📚 AP courses 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Strom Thurmond High earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of South Carolina schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Johnston · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.4:1
- large classes for South Carolina
- 66.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Strom Thurmond High has class sizes larger than 79% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Strom Thurmond High ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Johnston, SC.
School address
District: Edgefield 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450207000413 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Strom Thurmond High compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Strom Thurmond High
Strom Thurmond High is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Johnston, South Carolina, enrolling 720 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.4:1 puts it in the larger third of South Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 66.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 720 puts it in the larger third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Among 172 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #133, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (43%) and White (39%) (diversity index 65/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 5 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 240 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 192 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 720 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 29 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Edgefield 01 also operates Merriwether Elementary (760 students) and Johnston-Edgefield-Trenton Middle (394 students) alongside Strom Thurmond High.
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 Strom Thurmond High compares
Strom Thurmond High 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 | 16.4:1 | ▲ 15% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.0% | ▼ 11% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 720 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
720
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
66.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% 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
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 15% above state mean
Top 79% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
39.9%
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
$15,235
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 240 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
106
in-school suspensions + 86 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 26.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 29 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 42.8%
White 39.4%
Hispanic or Latino 11.5%
Two or More 5.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 42.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.5, Strom Thurmond High is more mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Edgefield 01, which includes Strom Thurmond High.
$15,235
Per student
+5%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.6%
State 47.9%
Federal 17.6%
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 Strom Thurmond High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merriwether Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Johnston-Edgefield-Trenton Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Merriwether Middle | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| W. E. Parker Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Johnston Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Strom Thurmond High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 760
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 394
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 365
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 339
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 276
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
Similar high 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 (~720 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Strom Thurmond High's federal record.
- Compare Strom Thurmond High against another school. Compare schools
- Edgefield 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 Strom Thurmond High
How many students attend Strom Thurmond High?
Strom Thurmond High has 720 students enrolled. It is a high school in Johnston, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Strom Thurmond High?
The student-teacher ratio at Strom Thurmond High is 16.4:1, which is 15% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Strom Thurmond High?
66.0% of students at Strom Thurmond High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Strom Thurmond High?
The largest demographic group at Strom Thurmond High is African American at 42.8% of enrollment, in Johnston, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Strom Thurmond High?
Strom Thurmond High has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Strom Thurmond High rank among public schools in Johnston?
By Resource Investment Index, Strom Thurmond High ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Johnston, 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 Johnston on the city page.
Is Strom Thurmond High a good school?
Strom Thurmond High earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% 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 Edgefield 01?
Besides Strom Thurmond High, Edgefield 01 also operates Merriwether Elementary (760 students), Johnston-Edgefield-Trenton Middle (394 students), and Merriwether Middle (365 students). See the Edgefield 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.