Enrollment
693
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 450270000015
White Knoll Middle — West Columbia, SC
Federal NCES profile for White Knoll Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 0
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: Lexington 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)
66.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.4%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How White Knoll 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
White Knoll Middle reports 693 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 66.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% below the South Carolina state mean of 14.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 22% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 48.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% below the South Carolina average and 7% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 347 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 47.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lexington 01 spends $16,643 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.8% from local sources (property taxes), 51.0% from the state, and 8.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), 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 White Knoll 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 | 12.4:1 | ▼ 13% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.4% | ▼ 35% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 693 | top 67% | — | — |
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
48.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 35% below 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
12.4:1
students per teacher
— 13% below state mean
Top 23% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
47.9%
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
$16,643
per pupil, district-wide
— below South Carolina avg of $17,182
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 347 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
83
in-school suspensions + 65 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 24 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 693 Top 67% in South Carolina — larger than 33% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 66.0
Students per teacher 12.4:1 -13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 48.4% -35% vs state
NCES ID 450270000015
Student demographics
White 52.2%
Hispanic or Latino 19.8%
African American 19.0%
Two or More 7.9%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 52.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 347:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 47.9%
In-school suspensions 83
Out-of-school suspensions 65
Expulsions 24
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lexington 01, which includes White Knoll Middle.
$16,643
Per student
-3%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 40.8%
State 51.0%
Federal 8.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,536
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 2,117
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,025
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,138
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,033
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
Similar middle schools in West Columbia
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 White Knoll Middle
How many students attend White Knoll Middle?
White Knoll Middle has 693 students enrolled. It is a middle school in West Columbia, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at White Knoll Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at White Knoll Middle is 12.4:1, which is 13% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at White Knoll Middle?
48.4% of students at White Knoll Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of White Knoll Middle?
The largest demographic group at White Knoll Middle is White at 52.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in West Columbia, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for White Knoll Middle?
White Knoll Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) 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.