Enrollment
1,105
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Mt. Pleasant, SC
Thomas C. Cario Middle
Federal NCES profile for Thomas C. Cario Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 450144000430
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 59
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Thomas C. Cario Middle earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of South Carolina schools.
- #2 of 11
- public schools in Mt. Pleasant · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.5:1
- large classes for South Carolina
- 13.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Thomas C. Cario Middle has class sizes larger than 88% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Thomas C. Cario Middle ranks #2 of 11 public schools in Mt. Pleasant, SC.
School address
District: Charleston 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450144000430 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
63.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
13.9%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-81% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thomas C. Cario Middle compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Thomas C. Cario Middle
Thomas C. Cario Middle is a lower-poverty, large middle school in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, enrolling 1,105 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.5:1 is larger than about 88% of South Carolina schools and 22% above the 14.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 13.9% free-meal eligibility runs 81% below the South Carolina average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in South Carolina, bigger than 90% of state schools at 1,105 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 64 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #23.
Its student body is predominantly White (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 30/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 226 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
16.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Charleston 01 also operates Wando High (2,588 students) and Rb Stall High (2,135 students) alongside Thomas C. Cario Middle.
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 Thomas C. Cario Middle compares
Thomas C. Cario Middle 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 | 17.5:1 | ▲ 22% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 13.9% | ▼ 81% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,105 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.5:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,105
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
13.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 81% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.5:1
students per teacher
- 22% above state mean
Top 88% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$15,213
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
Counselors4.9 FTE
Per 226 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
109
in-school suspensions + 46 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 83.3%
Hispanic or Latino 6.4%
African American 4.3%
Two or More 3.7%
Asian 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 83.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.8, Thomas C. Cario Middle is less mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Charleston 01, which includes Thomas C. Cario Middle.
$15,213
Per student
+4%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 59.0%
State 27.7%
Federal 13.3%
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 Thomas C. Cario Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wando High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rb Stall High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Ashley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lucy Garrett Beckham High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| James Island Charter High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Thomas C. Cario Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,588
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,135
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,069
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,757
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,612
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar middle 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 (~1,105 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Thomas C. Cario Middle's federal record.
- Compare Thomas C. Cario Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Charleston 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 Thomas C. Cario Middle
How many students attend Thomas C. Cario Middle?
Thomas C. Cario Middle has 1,105 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Mt. Pleasant, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas C. Cario Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Thomas C. Cario Middle is 17.5:1, which is 22% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thomas C. Cario Middle?
13.9% of students at Thomas C. Cario Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thomas C. Cario Middle?
The largest demographic group at Thomas C. Cario Middle is White at 83.3% of enrollment, in Mt. Pleasant, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomas C. Cario Middle?
Thomas C. Cario Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher 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).
How does Thomas C. Cario Middle rank among public schools in Mt. Pleasant?
By Resource Investment Index, Thomas C. Cario Middle ranks #2 of 11 public schools in Mt. Pleasant, 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 Mt. Pleasant on the city page.
Is Thomas C. Cario Middle a good school?
Thomas C. Cario Middle earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% 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 Charleston 01?
Besides Thomas C. Cario Middle, Charleston 01 also operates Wando High (2,588 students), Rb Stall High (2,135 students), and West Ashley High (2,069 students). See the Charleston 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.