Enrollment
3,361
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Summerville, SC
Summerville High
Federal NCES profile for Summerville High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 450201000402
👥 S:T ratio 17
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 39
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Summerville High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of South Carolina schools. It is also one of the largest schools in South Carolina.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Summerville · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.7:1
- large classes for South Carolina
- 52.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Summerville High has class sizes larger than 97% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Summerville High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Summerville, SC.
School address
District: Dorchester 02 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450201000402 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
162.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.7:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+45% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.7%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Summerville High compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Summerville High
Summerville High is a higher-need, large high school in Summerville, South Carolina, enrolling 3,361 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20.7:1 is larger than about 97% of South Carolina schools and 45% above the 14.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 52.7% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in South Carolina, bigger than 99% of state schools at 3,361 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 1,214 South Carolina schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (51%) and African American (27%) (diversity index 64/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 15 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 306 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
The surrounding Dorchester 02 spends $11,173 per pupil, 23% below the South Carolina average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Discipline events run high: 1,168 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 3,361 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Summerville's high schools, it stands alongside Ashley Ridge High (2,599 students): Summerville High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.7:1 vs 21.7:1).
Dorchester 02 also operates Ashley Ridge High (2,599 students) and Fort Dorchester High (2,344 students) alongside Summerville 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 Summerville High compares
Summerville 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 | 20.7:1 | ▲ 45% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.7% | ▼ 29% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 3,361 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.7:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
3,361
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 29% 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
20.7:1
students per teacher
- 45% above state mean
Top 97% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Funding equity
$11,173
per pupil, district-wide
- below South Carolina avg of $14,558
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors11.0 FTE
Per 306 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
825
in-school suspensions + 343 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 24.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 34.8 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
White 51.2%
African American 27.0%
Hispanic or Latino 12.2%
Two or More 9.0%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 51.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.2, Summerville High is more mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 15
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dorchester 02, which includes Summerville High.
$11,173
Per student
-23%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.4%
State 53.8%
Federal 13.8%
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 Summerville High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashley Ridge High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Fort Dorchester High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sand Hill Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Beech Hill Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| East Edisto Middle | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Summerville High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,599
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 2,344
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,169
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,079
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,031
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
Similar high schools in Summerville
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 (~3,361 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Summerville High's federal record.
- Compare Summerville High against another school. Compare schools
- Dorchester 02'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 Summerville High
How many students attend Summerville High?
Summerville High has 3,361 students enrolled. It is a high school in Summerville, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Summerville High?
The student-teacher ratio at Summerville High is 20.7:1, which is 45% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 32% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Summerville High?
52.7% of students at Summerville High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Summerville High?
The largest demographic group at Summerville High is White at 51.2% of enrollment, in Summerville, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Summerville High?
Summerville High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Summerville High rank among high schools in Summerville?
By Resource Investment Index, Summerville High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Summerville, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Summerville on the city page.
Is Summerville High a good school?
Summerville High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of South Carolina schools. It is also one of the largest schools in South Carolina. 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 Dorchester 02?
Besides Summerville High, Dorchester 02 also operates Ashley Ridge High (2,599 students), Fort Dorchester High (2,344 students), and Sand Hill Elementary (1,169 students). See the Dorchester 02 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.