Enrollment
243
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Seabrook, SC
Whale Branch Middle
Federal NCES profile for Whale Branch Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 450111000422
👥 S:T ratio 69
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 76
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Whale Branch Middle earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of South Carolina schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Seabrook · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 7.8:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Whale Branch Middle has class sizes smaller than 97% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Whale Branch Middle ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Seabrook, SC.
School address
District: Beaufort 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450111000422 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.8:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-45% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whale Branch Middle compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Whale Branch Middle
Whale Branch Middle is a high-poverty, small elementary school in Seabrook, South Carolina, enrolling 243 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.8:1, Whale Branch Middle is leaner than roughly 97% of South Carolina schools and 45% 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 243 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 143 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #34.
Its student body is led by African American (68%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 50/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 122 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 63.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 354 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 243 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Beaufort 01 also operates May River High (1,731 students) and Bluffton High (1,375 students) alongside Whale Branch 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 Whale Branch Middle compares
Whale Branch 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 | 7.8:1 | ▼ 45% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 243 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.8:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
243
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
7.8:1
students per teacher
- 45% below state mean
Top 3% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
63.4%
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
$16,066
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 122 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
172
in-school suspensions + 182 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 70.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 145.7 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
African American 67.5%
Hispanic or Latino 20.6%
Two or More 6.6%
White 5.3%
Largest group: African American at 67.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.5, Whale Branch 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 Beaufort 01, which includes Whale Branch Middle.
$16,066
Per student
+10%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.5%
State 30.2%
Federal 13.4%
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 Whale Branch Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| May River High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bluffton High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hilton Head Island High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| River Ridge Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Beaufort High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Whale Branch Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,731
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,375
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,265
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,134
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 1,104
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
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 (~243 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Whale Branch Middle's federal record.
- Compare Whale Branch Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Beaufort 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 Whale Branch Middle
How many students attend Whale Branch Middle?
Whale Branch Middle has 243 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Seabrook, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whale Branch Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Whale Branch Middle is 7.8:1, which is 45% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 50% 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 Whale Branch Middle?
100.0% of students at Whale Branch Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Whale Branch Middle?
The largest demographic group at Whale Branch Middle is African American at 67.5% of enrollment, in Seabrook, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whale Branch Middle?
Whale Branch Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (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 Whale Branch Middle rank among public schools in Seabrook?
By Resource Investment Index, Whale Branch Middle ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Seabrook, 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 Seabrook on the city page.
Is Whale Branch Middle a good school?
Whale Branch Middle earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% 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 Beaufort 01?
Besides Whale Branch Middle, Beaufort 01 also operates May River High (1,731 students), Bluffton High (1,375 students), and Hilton Head Island High (1,265 students). See the Beaufort 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.