Support Us Button Widget

Education by the numbers in South Carolina

Screen Shot 2021-01-28 at 3.49.56 PM

Image via Pexels

One thing doesn’t changeeducation is always a hot topic in South Carolina. The sentiment shared amongst most is that teachers don’t get paid enough for all that they do. We count on educators to mold the future generation with the skills they need for tomorrow.

Have you ever wondered how much it costs to teach South Carolina students these important tools? There is a helpful dashboard for that, thanks to Palmetto Promise. Today, we’re breaking down the numbers of what a public education (K-12) costs in South Carolina.

💰How much do we spend?

Education spending represents approx. 40% of South Carolina’s general fund. State K-12 education spending, which comes from the Department of Education, totaled $4.8 billion in 2019-2020. This is the first time the budget reached this amount in state history. Add in local + federal spending to this sum and the annual education budget climbs to $10.4 billion (not including coronavirus federal emergency funds).

💰Where does the money go?

This one-of-a-kind dashboard compares data for each district, including per student revenue, percent spent on instruction, graduation rate, college readiness, and average teacher salary.

Let’s take a closer look and make cents of these numbers.

Screen Shot 2021-01-28 at 3.49.39 PM

Education stats for South Carolina | Image via Palmetto Promise Dashboard

South Carolina public education by the numbers for 2020-2021:

758,752 Number of students in South Carolina

52,733 Number of teachers in South Carolina

81 – Number of public school districts

683 – Number of primary schools

335 Number of middle schools

248 Number of high schools

81% – State graduation rate

49.7% – State average for SC Ready 3rd grade English Language Arts

36.6% – State average for SC Ready 8th grade Math

41.7% – State average for college readiness

72.5% – State average for career readiness

$14,801 – State average revenue per student

$9,497 – State average public school spending per student

$49,737 State average teacher salary

Wondering what these numbers look like in your district? Check out the dashboard below.

Dig into the local data.

More from GVLtoday
Sponsored
As you hit the road to the mountains this fall and winter, things may look a little different. However, Asheville’s tourism bureau says it is welcoming visitors as the community recovers from Hurricane Helene.
Highlighting the history of the land where Unity Park sits today, The Path to Progress sits in the center of the park right along the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail.
The 10,000-seat stadium is slated to open in 2026 and will serve as a home to the Greenville Triumph Soccer Club and the Greenville Liberty Soccer Club.
The City of Greenville’s Traffic Safety Action Plan highlights seven strategies for making roadways in our city safer.
Are you looking to serve the community? We’re compiling a list of Open board seats in Greenville.
We asked our readers for their most frightening scary stories for Halloween.
Our readers have spoken. Here’s the list of winners, as determined by votes from our audience.
A unique-every-time experience, The Game Show Challenge makes you feel like you’re on your favorite game show with professional lighting and sound, a host, and your favorite games.
Switchyards flipping the script on traditional coworking spaces with its neighborhood work club, right in your backyard.