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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Gaffney High?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,827
High
DISTRICT 1,155 · STATE 953
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CHEROKEE 01·NCES 450150000285
Gaffney High
149 Twin Lake Road, Gaffney, SC 29341 · (864) 206-2000 · Cherokee County
GRADES 09–12HIGH32-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL1,827 STUDENTS
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded
This school has no state test results for 2023-24 or 2024-25 to grade, which is common for schools that end before third grade. How grades work
Student : Teacher
17.7:1
103 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.6:1 · STATE 15.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
STATE 77%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 525 | 29% |
| Grade 10 | 497 | 27% |
| Grade 11 | 419 | 23% |
| Grade 12 | 386 | 21% |
Student demographics
62%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 59% · STATE 67% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Where Gaffney High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,827 | #34 of 250 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.7:1 | #164 of 215 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 62.0% | #72 of 217 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -9.6% | #35 of 78 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,827
+9 (+0%) vs 2020
+35% since 1990-91, when it was 1,355
Student : Teacher
17.7:1
was 16.2:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,827 | 103 | 17.7:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 1,878 | 107 | 17.6:1 | 77% (1,442) |
| 2022-23 | 1,838 | 104 | 17.7:1 | 84% (1,547) |
| 2020-21 | 1,818 | 112 | 16.2:1 | 60% (1,082) |
| 2017-18 | 2,022 | 117.4 | 17.2:1 | 68% (1,382) |
| 2015-16 | 2,055 | 116 | 17.7:1 | 71% (1,459) |
| 2010-11 | 2,061 | 115 | 17.9:1 | 62% (1,273) |
| 2000-01 | 1,955 | 97 | 20.1:1 | 33% (652) |
| 1990-91 | 1,355 | 66 | 20.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Gaffney High.
Since 2017-18: students down 10% (2,022 to 1,827); teachers down 12% (117.4 to 103).
About Gaffney High
Gaffney High is a large high school in Gaffney, South Carolina. The school had 1,827 students in grades 9 through 12 in 2024-25. An average school in this group (high schools in South Carolina) has about 953 students.
Federal data list 14 schools in Cherokee 01, with 7,525 students enrolled.
At 52%, White students outnumber all other groups at Gaffney High combined. Smaller groups are 30% Black, 14% Hispanic, and 2% multiracial. County-wide, 70% of Cherokee County residents are White. By the diversity index, Gaffney High comes in at 62%.
Teachers at Gaffney High total 103 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 17.7:1. For comparison, high schools in South Carolina average 15.5:1.
Census Bureau estimates for Cherokee County show that median household income is about $50,288, 18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. A total of 17 public schools operate in Cherokee County, serving about 8,402 students.
B. D. Lee Elementary is the public school closest to Gaffney High, about 1.4 miles away. Gaffney High has at least 8 other public schools within five miles.
The NCES locale for Gaffney High is Town: Distant, which covers schools in a town some distance from an urbanized area.
Over 4 years, enrollment stayed close to where it was, going from 1,818 to 1,827. The number of students per teacher rose from 16.2 to 17.7 over 4 years.
If you have questions about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes at Gaffney High, you can post them here. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Cherokee County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
56,647
Census ACS
Median income
$50,288
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
18%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
12%
Below federal line
Schools in county
17
8,402 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Cherokee 01
- Gaffney MiddleMiddle · 851 students
- B. D. Lee ElementaryElementary · 603 students
- Grassy Pond ElementaryElementary · 519 students
- Blacksburg HighHigh · 482 students
- Limestone-Central ElementaryElementary · 436 students
- Northwest ElementaryElementary · 423 students
Other schools in Gaffney
- Gaffney MiddleMiddle · 851 students
- Cherokee Charter AcademyCombined · 633 students
- B. D. Lee ElementaryElementary · 603 students
- Grassy Pond ElementaryElementary · 519 students
- Limestone-Central ElementaryElementary · 436 students
- Northwest ElementaryElementary · 423 students
Nearby schools
- B. D. Lee Elementary1.4 mi · 603
- Limestone-Central Elementary1.4 mi · 436
- Gaffney Middle2.3 mi · 851
- John E. Ewing Middle3.1 mi · 380
- Luther L. Vaughan Elementary3.2 mi · 399
- Cherokee Charter Academy4.5 mi · 633
Frequently asked questions
About Gaffney HighWhat is the total enrollment at Gaffney High?
Gaffney High enrolls approximately 1,827 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Gaffney High serve?
Gaffney High serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gaffney High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Gaffney High is approximately 17.7:1 (103 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Gaffney High?
At Gaffney High, the student body is approximately 52% White, 14% Hispanic, 30% Black, 1% Asian, 2% Two or more.
Who oversees Gaffney High?
Gaffney High is overseen by Cherokee 01 in Cherokee County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.