Enrollment
329
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 450228000739
Waccamaw Middle — Pawleys Island, SC
Federal NCES profile for Waccamaw Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 31
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Georgetown 01 · South Carolina
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.9%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waccamaw Middle compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Waccamaw Middle reports 329 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% above the South Carolina state mean of 14.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% below the South Carolina average and 23% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 329 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Georgetown 01 spends $18,708 per pupil district-wide, above the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 45.1% from local sources (property taxes), 39.4% from the state, and 15.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Waccamaw Middle compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against South Carolina state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs South Carolina | South Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.9:1 | ▲ 4% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.9% | ▼ 46% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 329 | top 20% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
39.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.9:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 61% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
27.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,708
per pupil, district-wide
— above South Carolina avg of $17,182
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 329 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 54 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 329 Top 20% in South Carolina — larger than 80% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 14.9:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.9% -46% vs state
NCES ID 450228000739
Student demographics
White 74.5%
African American 16.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.2%
Two or More 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 74.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 329:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 54
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Georgetown 01, which includes Waccamaw Middle.
$18,708
Per student
+9%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 918
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 808
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 671
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 604
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 548
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Waccamaw Middle
How many students attend Waccamaw Middle?
Waccamaw Middle has 329 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Pawleys Island, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waccamaw Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Waccamaw Middle is 14.9:1, which is 4% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Waccamaw Middle?
39.9% of students at Waccamaw Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waccamaw Middle?
The largest demographic group at Waccamaw Middle is White at 74.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Pawleys Island, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waccamaw Middle?
Waccamaw Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.