Enrollment
2,122
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Sumter, SC
Sumter High School
Federal NCES profile for Sumter High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 450390201065
👥 S:T ratio 28
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sumter High School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of South Carolina schools. It is also one of the largest schools in South Carolina.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Sumter · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18:1
- large classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Sumter High School has class sizes larger than 91% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sumter High School ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Sumter, SC.
School address
District: Sumter 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450390201065 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
118.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sumter High School compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sumter High School
Sumter High School is a high-poverty, large high school in Sumter, South Carolina, enrolling 2,122 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18:1 is larger than about 91% of South Carolina schools and 26% above the 14.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
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.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in South Carolina, bigger than 98% of state schools at 2,122 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 91% 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 African American (63%) and White (26%) (diversity index 54/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 531 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
The surrounding Sumter 01 spends $11,507 per pupil, 21% below the South Carolina average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 661 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 2,122 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 82 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Sumter's high schools, it stands alongside Crestwood High (1,105 students): Sumter High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18:1 vs 21.3:1).
Sumter 01 also operates Crestwood High (1,105 students) and Lakewood High (1,013 students) alongside Sumter High 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 Sumter High School compares
Sumter High 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 | 18:1 | ▲ 26% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 2,122 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
2,122
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
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
18:1
students per teacher
- 26% above state mean
Top 91% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$11,507
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 531 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
286
in-school suspensions + 375 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 31.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 82 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 62.5%
White 25.6%
Hispanic or Latino 7.4%
Two or More 2.2%
Asian 1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 62.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.8, Sumter High School is about as mixed as the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sumter 01, which includes Sumter High School.
$11,507
Per student
-21%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.0%
State 53.3%
Federal 19.7%
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 Sumter High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crestwood High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lakewood High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Alice Drive Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Furman Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pocalla Springs Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sumter High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,105
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,013
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 783
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 700
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 609
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar high schools in Sumter
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 (~2,122 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sumter High School's federal record.
- Compare Sumter High School against another school. Compare schools
- Sumter 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 Sumter High School
How many students attend Sumter High School?
Sumter High School has 2,122 students enrolled. It is a high school in Sumter, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sumter High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sumter High School is 18:1, which is 26% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sumter High School?
100.0% of students at Sumter High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sumter High School?
The largest demographic group at Sumter High School is African American at 62.5% of enrollment, in Sumter, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sumter High School?
Sumter High School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Sumter High School rank among high schools in Sumter?
By Resource Investment Index, Sumter High School ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Sumter, 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 Sumter on the city page.
Is Sumter High School a good school?
Sumter High School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% 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 Sumter 01?
Besides Sumter High School, Sumter 01 also operates Crestwood High (1,105 students), Lakewood High (1,013 students), and Alice Drive Middle (783 students). See the Sumter 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.