Enrollment
792
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 450213000441
Williams Middle — Florence, SC
Federal NCES profile for Williams Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 33
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: Florence 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)
54.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Williams 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
Williams Middle reports 792 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 54.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% above the South Carolina state mean of 14.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% above the South Carolina average and 93% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 396 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Florence 01 spends $16,480 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.4% from local sources (property taxes), 46.0% from the state, and 20.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), 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 Williams 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 | 15.5:1 | ▲ 8% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 792 | top 76% | — | — |
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
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
15.5:1
students per teacher
— 8% above state mean
Top 70% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.9%
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
$16,480
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 396 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
215
in-school suspensions + 168 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 27.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 48.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 8 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 792 Top 76% in South Carolina — larger than 24% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 54.0
Students per teacher 15.5:1 +8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +35% vs state
NCES ID 450213000441
Student demographics
African American 67.2%
White 15.2%
Two or More 9.0%
Asian 4.7%
Hispanic or Latino 3.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 67.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 396:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.9%
In-school suspensions 215
Out-of-school suspensions 168
Expulsions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Florence 01, which includes Williams Middle.
$16,480
Per student
-4%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.4%
State 46.0%
Federal 20.6%
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
- 1,827
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,580
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,373
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,138
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,056
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
Similar middle schools in Florence
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 Williams Middle
How many students attend Williams Middle?
Williams Middle has 792 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Florence, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Williams Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Williams Middle is 15.5:1, which is 8% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Williams Middle?
100.0% of students at Williams Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Williams Middle?
The largest demographic group at Williams Middle is African American at 67.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Florence, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Williams Middle?
Williams Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) 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.