Enrollment
238
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Ware Shoals, SC
Ware Shoals Elementary Middle
Federal NCES profile for Ware Shoals Elementary Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 450237000598
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ware Shoals Elementary Middle earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of South Carolina schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Ware Shoals · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.3:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Ware Shoals Elementary Middle has class sizes smaller than 86% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ware Shoals Elementary Middle ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Ware Shoals, SC.
School address
District: Greenwood 51 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450237000598 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ware Shoals Elementary Middle compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ware Shoals Elementary Middle
Ware Shoals Elementary Middle is a high-poverty, small elementary school in Ware Shoals, South Carolina, enrolling 238 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.3:1, Ware Shoals Elementary Middle is leaner than roughly 86% of South Carolina schools and 21% under the state's 14.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
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.
Enrollment of 238 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 132 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #36.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and African American (14%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 238 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 83 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 238 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Greenwood 51 also operates Ware Shoals Primary (385 students) and Ware Shoals High (265 students) alongside Ware Shoals Elementary 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 Ware Shoals Elementary Middle compares
Ware Shoals Elementary 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 | 11.3:1 | ▼ 21% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 238 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.3:1
Leaner classes than 81% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
238
Bigger than 24% 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
11.3:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 14% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,835
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 238 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
56
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 23.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 34.9 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 69.7%
African American 14.3%
Hispanic or Latino 9.7%
Two or More 6.3%
Largest group: White at 69.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.0, Ware Shoals Elementary 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 Greenwood 51, which includes Ware Shoals Elementary Middle.
$12,835
Per student
-12%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.9%
State 54.6%
Federal 19.5%
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 Ware Shoals Elementary Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ware Shoals Primary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ware Shoals High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ware Shoals Elementary Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 385
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 265
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar elementary 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 (~238 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ware Shoals Elementary Middle's federal record.
- Compare Ware Shoals Elementary Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Greenwood 51'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 Ware Shoals Elementary Middle
How many students attend Ware Shoals Elementary Middle?
Ware Shoals Elementary Middle has 238 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Ware Shoals, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ware Shoals Elementary Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Ware Shoals Elementary Middle is 11.3:1, which is 21% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 28% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ware Shoals Elementary Middle?
100.0% of students at Ware Shoals Elementary Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ware Shoals Elementary Middle?
The largest demographic group at Ware Shoals Elementary Middle is White at 69.7% of enrollment, in Ware Shoals, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ware Shoals Elementary Middle?
Ware Shoals Elementary 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 Ware Shoals Elementary Middle rank among public schools in Ware Shoals?
By Resource Investment Index, Ware Shoals Elementary Middle ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Ware Shoals, 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 Ware Shoals on the city page.
Is Ware Shoals Elementary Middle a good school?
Ware Shoals Elementary Middle earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% 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 Greenwood 51?
Besides Ware Shoals Elementary Middle, Greenwood 51 also operates Ware Shoals Primary (385 students) and Ware Shoals High (265 students). See the Greenwood 51 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.