The South Carolina Education Oversight Committee developed a poverty index that is a composite of the percent of students in each district who are eligible for Medicaid services and/or those who qualify for free or reduced-price meals.  A poverty index of 90.0, for example, means that 90% of the students are eligible for Medicaid services, qualify for free or reduced-price meals, or both.  Thus, higher indices indicate greater poverty.  

When the Center was established in 2004, the median poverty index is 78.9% for the 18 districts in the Pee Dee region.  Statewide, the median poverty index was 65.7%.  Ten of the 18 districts ranked in the highest quarter of districts statewide in terms of the poverty index.  For these counties, the range of poverty indices was from 82.9% to 94.7%.

2010-2011 SC Poverty Index