One thing doesn’t change – education 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 are 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.

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?Let’s dig into the local data.

Richland School District One by the numbers | Image via Palmetto Promise Dashboard

21,660 – Total number of students in Richland One

1,949 – Total number of teachers in Richland One

30 – Total number of primary schools

10 – Total number of middle schools

9 – Total number of high schools

82% – Average for graduation rate

41.5% – Average for SC Ready 3rd grade English Language Arts

25% – Average for SC Ready 8th grade Math

30% – Average for college readiness

66.3% – Average for career readiness

$21,160 – Average revenue per student

$15,009 – Average public school spending per student

$52,537 – Average teacher salary

51.7% – Average spent on instruction

Richland School District Two by the numbers | Image via Palmetto Promise Dashboard

27,540 – Total number of students in Richland Two

1,949 – Total number of teachers in Richland Two

23 – Total number of primary schools

7 – Total number of middle schools

6 – Total number of high schools

87% – Average for graduation rate

51.1% – Average for SC Ready 3rd grade English Language Arts

39.9% – Average for SC Ready 8th grade Math

42.4% – Average for college readiness

80.8% – Average for career readiness

$16,098 – Average revenue per student

$11,045 – Average public school spending per student

$52,149 – Average teacher salary

54.4% – Average spent on instruction

Lexington School District One by the numbers | Image via Palmetto Promise Dashboard

26,947 – Total number of students in Lexington One

1,923 – Total number of teachers in Lexington One

16 – Total number of primary schools

7 – Total number of middle schools

5 – Total number of high schools

90% – Average for graduation rate

60.1% – Average for SC Ready 3rd grade English Language Arts

40.2% – Average for SC Ready 8th grade Math

53.4% – Average for college readiness

84.1% – Average for career readiness

$15,136 – Average revenue per student

$11,040 – Average public school spending per student

$52,689 – Average teacher salary

56.9% – Average spent on instruction

Lexington School District Two by the numbers | Image via Palmetto Promise Dashboard

8,650 – Total number of students in Lexington Two

629 – Total number of teachers in Lexington Two

6 – Total number of primary schools

4 – Total number of middle schools

2 – Total number of high schools

76% – Average for graduation rate

37.3% – Average for SC Ready 3rd grade English Language Arts

29.7% -– Average for SC Ready 8th grade Math

33.7% – Average for college readiness

63% – Average for career readiness

$16,061 – Average revenue per student

$10,626 – Average public school spending per student

$49,037 – Average teacher salary

53.8% – Average spent on instruction

Lexington School District Three by the numbers | Image via Palmetto Promise Dashboard

1,988 – Total number of students in Lexington Three

147 – Total number of teachers in Lexington Three

1 – Total number of primary schools

1 – Total number of middle schools

1 – Total number of high schools

84% – Average for graduation rate

37.7% – Average for SC Ready 3rd grade English Language Arts

22.8% – Average for SC Ready 8th grade Math

31.3% – Average for college readiness

74.2% – Average for career readiness

$17,677 – Average revenue per student

$12,798 – Average public school spending per student

$48,839 – Average teacher salary

49.6% – Average spent on instruction

Lexington School District Four by the numbers | Image via Palmetto Promise Dashboard

3,103 – Total number of students in Lexington Four

222 – Total number of teachers in Lexington Four

2 – Total number of primary schools

1 – Total number of middle schools

1 – Total number of high schools

80% – Average for graduation rate

27.4% – Average for SC Ready 3rd grade English Language Arts

9.3% – Average for SC Ready 8th grade Math

16.1% – Average for college readiness

50.5% – Average for career readiness

$15,168 – Average revenue per student

$10,160 – Average public school spending per student

$46,340 – Average teacher salary

51.7% – Average spent on instruction

Lexington-Richland School District Five by the numbers | Image via Palmetto Promise Dashboard

17,009 – Total number of students in Lexington-Richland Five

1,306 – Total number of teachers in Lexington-Richland Five

13 – Total number of primary schools

4 – Total number of middle schools

4 – Total number of high schools

88% – Average for graduation rate

60.2% – Average for SC Ready 3rd grade English Language Arts

50.4% – Average for SC Ready 8th grade Math

60.4% – Average for college readiness

81.8% – Average for career readiness

$15,737 – Average revenue per student

$12,177 – Average public school spending per student

$54,160 – Average teacher salary

55.1% – Average spent on instruction