Enrollment
543
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Pawleys Island, SC
Waccamaw Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Waccamaw Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450228000480
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waccamaw Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of South Carolina schools.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Pawleys Island · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.5:1
- large classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Waccamaw Elementary has class sizes larger than 80% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Waccamaw Elementary ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Pawleys Island, SC.
School address
District: Georgetown 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450228000480 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waccamaw Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waccamaw Elementary
Waccamaw Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, enrolling 543 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.5:1 puts it in the larger third of South Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
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 543 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 379 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #64.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and African American (15%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 367 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
14.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 15.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Georgetown 01 also operates Georgetown High (918 students) and Waccamaw High (808 students) alongside Waccamaw Elementary.
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 Waccamaw Elementary compares
Waccamaw Elementary 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 | 16.5:1 | ▲ 15% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 543 | top 50% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
543
Bigger than 67% 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
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 15% above state mean
Top 80% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$14,507
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 367 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.8 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 72.9%
African American 14.7%
Hispanic or Latino 6.4%
Two or More 4.4%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 72.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.1, Waccamaw Elementary is less mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Georgetown 01, which includes Waccamaw Elementary.
$14,507
Per student
0%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.1%
State 39.4%
Federal 15.5%
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 Waccamaw Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Waccamaw High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Georgetown Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Andrews Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Kensington Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Waccamaw Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 918
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 808
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 671
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 604
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 548
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
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 (~543 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waccamaw Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Waccamaw Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Georgetown 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 Waccamaw Elementary
How many students attend Waccamaw Elementary?
Waccamaw Elementary has 543 students enrolled. It is a public school in Pawleys Island, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waccamaw Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Waccamaw Elementary is 16.5:1, which is 15% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Waccamaw Elementary?
100.0% of students at Waccamaw Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waccamaw Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Waccamaw Elementary is White at 72.9% of enrollment, in Pawleys Island, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waccamaw Elementary?
Waccamaw Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Waccamaw Elementary rank among public schools in Pawleys Island?
By Resource Investment Index, Waccamaw Elementary ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Pawleys Island, 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 Pawleys Island on the city page.
Is Waccamaw Elementary a good school?
Waccamaw Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% 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 Georgetown 01?
Besides Waccamaw Elementary, Georgetown 01 also operates Georgetown High (918 students), Waccamaw High (808 students), and Georgetown Middle (671 students). See the Georgetown 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.