Enrollment
525
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Clinton, SC
Thornwell Charter School
Federal NCES profile for Thornwell Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450390901716Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 12
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 83
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Thornwell Charter School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of South Carolina schools.
- #7 of 7
- public schools in Clinton · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.9:1
- large classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Thornwell Charter School has class sizes larger than 98% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Thornwell Charter School ranks #7 of 7 public schools in Clinton, SC.
School address
District: Charter Institute at Erskine · South Carolina
NCES ID 450390901716 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.9:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+53% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thornwell Charter School compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Thornwell Charter School
Thornwell Charter School is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Clinton, South Carolina, enrolling 525 students.
Class loads run heavy: 21.9:1 is larger than about 98% of South Carolina schools and 53% 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.
With 525 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 1,214 South Carolina schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 386 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #346, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (66%) and African American (21%) (diversity index 52/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 525 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Charter Institute at Erskine spends $6,927 per pupil, 52% below the South Carolina average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Clinton's public schools, it stands alongside M. S. Bailey Child Development Center (139 students): Thornwell Charter School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21.9:1 vs 12.6:1).
Charter Institute at Erskine also operates Sc Connections Academy (6,152 students) and Cyber Academy of South Carolina (3,280 students) alongside Thornwell Charter 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 Thornwell Charter School compares
Thornwell Charter 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 | 21.9:1 | ▲ 53% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 525 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.9:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
525
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
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
21.9:1
students per teacher
- 53% above state mean
Top 98% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
6.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$6,927
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 525 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
45
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.9 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 65.5%
African American 21.1%
Two or More 6.9%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
Asian 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 65.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.9, Thornwell Charter School is about as mixed as the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Charter Institute at Erskine, which includes Thornwell Charter School.
$6,927
Per student
-52%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-58%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 2.7%
State 85.8%
Federal 11.5%
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.
How Thornwell Charter School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sc Connections Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cyber Academy of South Carolina | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| South Carolina Virtual Charter School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Gray Collegiate Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mevers School of Excellence | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Thornwell Charter School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 6,152
- Students per teacher
- 27.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 3,280
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,180
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 935
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 772
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar other schools in Clinton
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~525 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Thornwell Charter School's federal record.
- Compare Thornwell Charter School against another school. Compare schools
- Charter Institute at Erskine'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 Thornwell Charter School
How many students attend Thornwell Charter School?
Thornwell Charter School has 525 students enrolled. It is a public school in Clinton, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thornwell Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Thornwell Charter School is 21.9:1, which is 53% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 39% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thornwell Charter School?
100.0% of students at Thornwell Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thornwell Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Thornwell Charter School is White at 65.5% of enrollment, in Clinton, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thornwell Charter School?
Thornwell Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower 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 Thornwell Charter School rank among public schools in Clinton?
By Resource Investment Index, Thornwell Charter School ranks #7 of 7 public schools in Clinton, 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 Clinton on the city page.
Is Thornwell Charter School a good school?
Thornwell Charter School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% 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 Charter Institute at Erskine?
Besides Thornwell Charter School, Charter Institute at Erskine also operates Sc Connections Academy (6,152 students), Cyber Academy of South Carolina (3,280 students), and South Carolina Virtual Charter School (2,180 students). See the Charter Institute at Erskine 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.