Enrollment
361
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · West Pelzer, SC
West Pelzer Elementary
Federal NCES profile for West Pelzer Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450078000070
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
West Pelzer Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of South Carolina schools.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.9:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 79.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 361
- students enrolled
West Pelzer Elementary has class sizes smaller than 88% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Anderson 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450078000070 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.9:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
79.3%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Pelzer Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at West Pelzer Elementary
West Pelzer Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in West Pelzer, South Carolina, enrolling 361 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.9:1, West Pelzer Elementary is leaner than roughly 88% of South Carolina schools and 24% under the state's 14.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 79.3% lands close to the South Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 361 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 48 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #23.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 37/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 361 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Anderson 01 spends $10,372 per pupil, 29% below the South Carolina average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Anderson 01 also operates Wren High (1,252 students) and Palmetto High (1,086 students) alongside West Pelzer 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 West Pelzer Elementary compares
West Pelzer 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 | 10.9:1 | ▼ 24% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 79.3% | ▲ 7% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 361 | top 76% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.9:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
361
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
79.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% 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
10.9:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 12% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
28.0%
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
$10,372
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 361 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.6 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 78.4%
Hispanic or Latino 12.5%
Two or More 4.7%
African American 3.9%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 78.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.6, West Pelzer 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 Anderson 01, which includes West Pelzer Elementary.
$10,372
Per student
-29%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.0%
State 49.8%
Federal 13.2%
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 West Pelzer Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wren High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Palmetto High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Powdersville High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wren Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Spearman Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to West Pelzer Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,252
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,086
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,024
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 910
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 804
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
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 (~361 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on West Pelzer Elementary's federal record.
- Compare West Pelzer Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Anderson 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 West Pelzer Elementary
How many students attend West Pelzer Elementary?
West Pelzer Elementary has 361 students enrolled. It is a public school in West Pelzer, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Pelzer Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at West Pelzer Elementary is 10.9:1, which is 24% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 31% 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 West Pelzer Elementary?
79.3% of students at West Pelzer Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Pelzer Elementary?
The largest demographic group at West Pelzer Elementary is White at 78.4% of enrollment, in West Pelzer, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Pelzer Elementary?
West Pelzer Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical 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).
Is West Pelzer Elementary a good school?
West Pelzer Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller 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 Anderson 01?
Besides West Pelzer Elementary, Anderson 01 also operates Wren High (1,252 students), Palmetto High (1,086 students), and Powdersville High (1,024 students). See the Anderson 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.