Enrollment
290
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Pickens, SC
Youth Leadership Academy
Federal NCES profile for Youth Leadership Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 63/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 450390101589Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 81
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Youth Leadership Academy earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most South Carolina schools.
- #1 of 6
- public schools in Pickens · Resource Index
- 63
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.3:1
- students per teacher
- 3.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Youth Leadership Academy has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Youth Leadership Academy ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Pickens, SC.
School address
District: Sc Public Charter School District · South Carolina
NCES ID 450390101589 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
3.5%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-95% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Youth Leadership Academy compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Youth Leadership Academy
Youth Leadership Academy is a lower-poverty, small charter middle school in Pickens, South Carolina, enrolling 290 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.3:1 puts it in the larger third of South Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 3.5% free-meal eligibility runs 95% below the South Carolina average.
Enrollment of 290 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 98% of the 1,214 South Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 8/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Sc Public Charter School District spends $22,523 per pupil, 55% above the South Carolina average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Pickens's middle schools, it stands alongside Pickens Middle (566 students): Youth Leadership Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.3:1 vs 16.2:1).
Sc Public Charter School District also operates York Preparatory Academy (1,672 students) and Legacy Early College (1,592 students) alongside Youth Leadership Academy.
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 Youth Leadership Academy compares
Youth Leadership Academy 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 | 15.3:1 | ▲ 7% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 3.5% | ▼ 95% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 290 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
290
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
3.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 95% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.3:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 68% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
7.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$22,523
per pupil, district-wide
- above South Carolina avg of $14,558
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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
White 95.9%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
Two or More 2.1%
Largest group: White at 95.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 7.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 7.9, Youth Leadership Academy is less mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sc Public Charter School District, which includes Youth Leadership Academy.
$22,523
Per student
+55%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
+36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 5.8%
State 80.6%
Federal 13.6%
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.
How Youth Leadership Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| York Preparatory Academy | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Legacy Early College | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bridges Preparatory School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| High Point Academy | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Green Charter School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Youth Leadership Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,672
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 1,592
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,472
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,208
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 998
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar middle schools in Pickens
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 (~290 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Youth Leadership Academy's federal record.
- Compare Youth Leadership Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Sc Public Charter School District'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 Youth Leadership Academy
How many students attend Youth Leadership Academy?
Youth Leadership Academy has 290 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Pickens, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Youth Leadership Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Youth Leadership Academy is 15.3:1, which is 7% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Youth Leadership Academy?
3.5% of students at Youth Leadership Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Youth Leadership Academy?
The largest demographic group at Youth Leadership Academy is White at 95.9% of enrollment, in Pickens, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Youth Leadership Academy?
Youth Leadership Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Youth Leadership Academy rank among public schools in Pickens?
By Resource Investment Index, Youth Leadership Academy ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Pickens, 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 Pickens on the city page.
Is Youth Leadership Academy a good school?
Youth Leadership Academy earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Sc Public Charter School District?
Besides Youth Leadership Academy, Sc Public Charter School District also operates York Preparatory Academy (1,672 students), Legacy Early College (1,592 students), and Bridges Preparatory School (1,472 students). See the Sc Public Charter School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Compare schools
Side-by-side comparison tool
Schools in South Carolina
All public schools in South Carolina
Sc Public Charter School District
All schools in this district
Schools in Pickens
All schools in this city
School districts
Ranked by enrollment & spending
Rankings
Best schools by state & type
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.