Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

St. James Santee Elementary-Middle

Public Grades PK, KG-8

Summary

St. James Santee Elementary-Middle is a public school in McClellanville, South Carolina, serving 182 students in grades PK-8. The school has a high percentage of African American students (84.07%) and a 100% free/reduced lunch rate, indicating a high concentration of students from low-income families.

Despite having a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 9.3 and a high per-student spending of $34,395, St. James Santee Elementary-Middle consistently ranks in the bottom 25% of South Carolina elementary schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are significantly lower than the Charleston 01 district and state averages, often by 20-30 percentage points. This persistent academic underperformance suggests that factors beyond just funding and staffing may be contributing to the school's challenges.

The stark contrast in racial composition and socioeconomic status between St. James Santee Elementary-Middle and the nearby schools, such as Laurel Hill Primary, Charles Pinckney Elementary, and Carolina Park Elementary, highlights the significant educational inequities within the Charleston 01 district. This disparity presents an opportunity for the district to implement targeted interventions and support programs to address the specific needs of the student population at St. James Santee Elementary-Middle.

167

Students ?

9.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$41,647

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8900 Highway 17 North
Mc Clellanville, SC 29458

(843) 723-0863

District: Charleston 01

Students who attend St. James Santee Elementary-Middle usually attend:

High:

Wando High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

81.4%

White:

10.8%

Hispanic:

4.8%

See top rated South Carolina public schools

Compare St. James Santee Elementary-Middle to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 2nd percentile in 2013 → 22nd in 2023

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 20 percentile points since 2013

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (41% vs 55% meeting standards)

!English Language Arts scores 22 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg62%

South Carolina avg55%

Not ranked this year

St. James Santee Elementary-Middle did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

23^rd of 75Charleston 01 among South Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	23.4	503 of 644	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.1	523 of 625	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.6	531 of 622	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	5.0	633 of 643	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.1	584 of 624	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	19.9	538 of 639	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	39.7	380 of 619	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	21.3	556 of 638	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	9.5	601 of 630	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	4.8	586 of 599	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	19.3	521 of 594	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	23.8	502 of 597	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	16.0	541 of 589	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	23.7	492 of 580	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	31.4	442 of 577	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	25.7	470 of 566	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	10.3	527 of 559	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	9.7	535 of 557	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	28.7	435 of 550	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	24.9	445 of 542	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	52.9	168 of 393	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.7	201 of 350	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.3	378 of 421	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.4	311 of 412	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	33.1	425 of 608	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.4	460 of 600	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.0	464 of 580	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	5.8	593 of 600	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.3	546 of 588	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	5.4	566 of 571	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	25.4	242 of 325	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.6	250 of 325	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.5	270 of 310	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.6	303 of 311	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	33.2	214 of 315	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	17.0	259 of 303	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	9.1	308 of 317	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	4.7	286 of 291	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	13.2	253 of 276	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	31.0	210 of 271	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	25.7	224 of 269	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	0.3	260 of 261	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	52.9	100 of 249	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	14.1	230 of 235	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	61.4	64 of 237	73.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	30.4	228 of 313	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.4	260 of 300	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.9	285 of 288	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	27.8	218 of 280	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

African American (2022)57th percentile+41 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)30th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2018)1st percentile-6 vs school

Middle school

African American (2022)60th percentile+47 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)27th percentile+4 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts41%-22 vs state

Mathematics41%-7 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate St. James Santee Elementary-Middle and help other families decide.

Rate St. James Santee Elementary-Middle

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near St. James Santee Elementary-Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SC READY English Language Arts (2025)			SC READY Mathematics (2025)			SC READY Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SC READY English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 4th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Science 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
St. James Santee Elementary-Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	8900 Highway 17 North	Mc Clellanville	29458	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 723-0863	167	19	9.0		18 (10.8%)	136 (81.4%)	8 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.0%)								(n/a)			40.9			40.9		$41,647	$4,097	$3,677	$7,774	$26,108	$7,765	$33,872
Cape Romain Environmental Education Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	1101 Old Cemetery Road	Mc Clellanville	29458	Charleston County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	No	(843) 887-3323	181	14	13.4		166 (91.7%)	12 (6.6%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	38.7	389^th of 640 public elementary schools	39.2%		79.6	126^th of 638 public elementary schools	80.3%	263		63.6			45.4		31.8	$12,321	$676	$276	$952	$8,188	$3,181	$11,369
Carolina Park Elementary	Public	K-5	3650 Park Avenue Boulevard	Mount Pleasant	29466	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 856-8060	931	56	16.6		768 (82.5%)	48 (5.2%)	45 (4.8%)	24 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (4.9%)	95.1	21^st of 640 public elementary schools	96.7%		95.6	15^th of 638 public elementary schools	97.6%	6	81.5	89.8	86.2	81.0	86.0	79.2	84.1	$15,975	$3,052	$1,236	$4,289	$9,497	$2,189	$11,686
Cainhoy Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2434 Cainhoy Road	Huger	29450	Berkeley County	Berkeley 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 899-8975	228	10	22.8		16 (7.0%)	159 (69.7%)	40 (17.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.3%)	6.4	627^th of 640 public elementary schools	2.0%		11.6	581^st of 638 public elementary schools	8.9%	46		37.5			16.7		20.9	$18,390	$1,534	$1,431	$2,965	$13,086	$2,338	$15,425
Laurel Hill Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	3100 Thomas Cario Boulevard	Mount Pleasant	29466	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 849-2200	691	45	15.5		555 (80.3%)	27 (3.9%)	53 (7.7%)	18 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (5.5%)								(n/a)								$20,601	$4,041	$1,268	$5,310	$12,370	$2,921	$15,292
Charles Pinckney Elementary	Public	3-5	3300 Thomas Cario Boulevard	Mount Pleasant	29466	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 856-4585	644	37	17.2		535 (83.1%)	13 (2.0%)	49 (7.6%)	15 (2.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (4.8%)	96.8	9^th of 640 public elementary schools	98.6%		97.1	9^th of 638 public elementary schools	98.6%		85.7	93.1	94.9	82.3	85.7	87.0	82.0	$16,475	$3,162	$1,334	$4,496	$9,500	$2,478	$11,979

Frequently Asked Questions about St. James Santee Elementary-Middle

What schools do graduates of St. James Santee Elementary-Middle attend?

Students who attend St. James Santee Elementary-Middle usually go on to attend:

High : Wando High

What district is St. James Santee Elementary-Middle in?

Charleston 01

How many students attend St. James Santee Elementary-Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 167 students attended St. James Santee Elementary-Middle.

What is the racial makeup of St. James Santee Elementary-Middle?

Students at St. James Santee Elementary-Middle are 81% African American, 11% White, 5% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

Rate St. James Santee Elementary-Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

SCSouth Carolina Elementary School Rankings

SCSouth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Mc Clellanville, SC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for St. James Santee Elementary-Middle!

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Carolina Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.