Enrollment
755
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 450390001529
Sugar Creek Elementary — Fort Mill, SC
Federal NCES profile for Sugar Creek Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 58/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 25
📋 Attendance 85
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: York 04 · 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)
65.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.8%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sugar Creek Elementary 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
Sugar Creek Elementary reports 755 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 65.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% below the South Carolina state mean of 14.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 25% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 52% below the South Carolina average and 31% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 378 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 6.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding York 04 spends $14,621 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 48.2% from local sources (property taxes), 44.3% from the state, and 7.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (C), calculated from 4 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 Sugar Creek Elementary 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 | 12:1 | ▼ 16% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.8% | ▼ 52% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 755 | top 72% | — | — |
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
35.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 52% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12:1
students per teacher
— 16% below state mean
Top 20% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
6.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$14,621
per pupil, district-wide
— below South Carolina avg of $17,182
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 378 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 755 Top 72% in South Carolina — larger than 28% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 65.0
Students per teacher 12:1 -16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.8% -52% vs state
NCES ID 450390001529
Student demographics
White 38.0%
Hispanic or Latino 26.0%
Asian 17.1%
African American 10.6%
Two or More 8.3%
Largest group: White at 38.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 378:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 6.1%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for York 04, which includes Sugar Creek Elementary.
$14,621
Per student
-15%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 48.2%
State 44.3%
Federal 7.5%
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
- 2,115
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,921
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 1,704
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 916
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 877
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
Similar other schools in Fort Mill
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Kings Town Elementary
Standard public school
809 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Fort Mill Elementary
Standard public school
729 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Riverview Elementary
Standard public school
711 students 10.2:1 students per teacher
River Trail Elementary
Standard public school
704 students 13.1:1 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 Sugar Creek Elementary
How many students attend Sugar Creek Elementary?
Sugar Creek Elementary has 755 students enrolled. It is a other school in Fort Mill, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sugar Creek Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sugar Creek Elementary is 12:1, which is 16% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sugar Creek Elementary?
35.8% of students at Sugar Creek Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sugar Creek Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Sugar Creek Elementary is White at 38.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Fort Mill, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sugar Creek Elementary?
Sugar Creek Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (C) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.