Enrollment
553
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · St. George, SC
William Memorial Elementary
Federal NCES profile for William Memorial Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450000200444
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
William Memorial Elementary earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of South Carolina schools.
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.3:1
- small classes for South Carolina
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 553
- students enrolled
William Memorial Elementary has class sizes smaller than 86% of South Carolina schools. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Dorchester 04 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450000200444 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
49.0
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 William Memorial Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at William Memorial Elementary
William Memorial Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in St. George, South Carolina, enrolling 553 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.3:1, William Memorial Elementary 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.
With 553 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Carolina median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Among 374 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #35, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (44%) and White (41%) (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 277 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Dorchester 04 spends $17,578 per pupil, 21% above the South Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 22.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Dorchester 04 also operates Woodland High (680 students) and St. George Middle (282 students) alongside William Memorial 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 William Memorial Elementary compares
William Memorial 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 | 11.3:1 | ▼ 21% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 553 | top 49% | - | - |
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.
553
Bigger than 68% 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
23.9%
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
$17,578
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 277 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
36
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.2 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 44.1%
White 40.5%
Two or More 7.8%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
Asian 1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 44.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.2, William Memorial Elementary is more mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dorchester 04, which includes William Memorial Elementary.
$17,578
Per student
+21%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.1%
State 39.1%
Federal 22.8%
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 William Memorial Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| St. George Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Harleyville Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clay Hill Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harleyville-Ridgeville Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to William Memorial Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 680
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 282
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 248
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 174
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 169
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
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 (~553 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on William Memorial Elementary's federal record.
- Compare William Memorial Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Dorchester 04'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 William Memorial Elementary
How many students attend William Memorial Elementary?
William Memorial Elementary has 553 students enrolled. It is a public school in St. George, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at William Memorial Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at William Memorial Elementary 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 William Memorial Elementary?
100.0% of students at William Memorial Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of William Memorial Elementary?
The largest demographic group at William Memorial Elementary is African American at 44.1% of enrollment, in St. George, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for William Memorial Elementary?
William Memorial Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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).
Is William Memorial Elementary a good school?
William Memorial Elementary earns 52/100 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 Dorchester 04?
Besides William Memorial Elementary, Dorchester 04 also operates Woodland High (680 students), St. George Middle (282 students), and Harleyville Elementary (248 students). See the Dorchester 04 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.