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Northwest Elementary

Q: Is Northwest Elementary a good school?

Northwest Elementary ranks 337 th of 640 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

337^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 640 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 47% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Northwest Elementary is a public elementary school located in Gaffney, South Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 425 students. The school is part of the Cherokee 01 School District, which is ranked 58 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Northwest Elementary has consistently ranked in the middle range of South Carolina elementary schools, with a ranking between 207 and 385 over the past 10 years. The school's performance on state assessments (SC READY) is generally higher than the district and state averages, particularly in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Northwest Elementary's 3rd-grade proficiency rates were 66.7% in ELA and 64.1% in Mathematics, compared to the district's 50.4% and 39.5%, and the state's 61.8% and 56.3%, respectively. However, the school's performance in Science has been relatively lower, with 4th-grade proficiency rates ranging from 21.4% to 32.8% over the past few years, compared to the state average of around 46-49%.

Northwest Elementary has a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 67.78% to 73.65% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch over the past few years. The school has also experienced relatively high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 17.8% to 39.3% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Nearby schools, such as Luther L. Vaughan Elementary, Grassy Pond Elementary, and B.D. Lee Elementary, have generally lower academic performance and higher percentages of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds compared to Northwest Elementary. However, the nearby Goucher Charter Academy has shown stronger academic performance.

423

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$4,759

Per pupil spending ?

73.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

840 Green River Road
Gaffney, SC 29341

(864) 206-6727

District: Cherokee 01

Students who attend Northwest Elementary usually attend:

High:

Gaffney High

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.1%

African American:

9.9%

Hispanic:

6.4%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Northwest Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 65th percentile in 2015 → 47th in 2025

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Cherokee 01

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 18 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Science scores 21 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school52%

District avg42%

South Carolina avg56%

337^th of 640

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 47%▼ down 18 pts since 2015

From top 35% (2015) to bottom 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 8Elementary Schools in the Cherokee 01

58^th of 75Cherokee 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	45.7	337 of 640	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.2	368 of 638	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.2	385 of 644	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.6	281 of 625	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.7	233 of 622	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.6	241 of 643	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.4	231 of 624	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	62.4	223 of 639	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	65.3	207 of 619	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	59.4	222 of 638	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	58.9	271 of 630	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	59.5	262 of 599	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.1	213 of 594	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	66.5	194 of 597	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	67.1	183 of 589	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	64.2	209 of 580	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	71.6	140 of 577	75.7%	★★★★☆
2007	65.2	188 of 566	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	65.4	196 of 559	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	60.1	240 of 557	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	55.7	264 of 550	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2003	57.0	252 of 542	53.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	36.3	368 of 581	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.0	304 of 565	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.8	370 of 580	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.1	304 of 573	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.6	274 of 554	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.2	256 of 588	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.0	265 of 570	53.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	44.5	332 of 613	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.4	422 of 599	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.7	363 of 608	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.7	218 of 600	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.3	174 of 580	70.0%	★★★★☆
2019	55.7	278 of 600	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.8	255 of 588	56.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	51.1	283 of 586	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.2	380 of 568	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.8	345 of 582	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.6	238 of 579	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.2	153 of 561	72.7%	★★★★☆
2019	62.3	222 of 590	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.2	186 of 571	67.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	23.6	372 of 460	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.5	342 of 441	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.4	357 of 463	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.1	350 of 455	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.2	317 of 439	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.0	303 of 472	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.3	308 of 457	32.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Male (2025)52nd percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)46th percentile~ school

Female (2025)37th percentile-11 vs school

White (2025)19th percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts60%~ state avg

Mathematics49%-3 vs state

Science28%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Northwest Elementary

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 English Language Arts 6th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 7th Grade	SC READY Science 4th Grade	SC READY Science 6th 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
Northwest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	840 Green River Road	Gaffney	29341	Cherokee County	Cherokee 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 206-6727	423	31	13.8		339 (80.1%)	42 (9.9%)	27 (6.4%)	5 (1.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.9%)	45.7	337^th of 640 public elementary schools	47.3%		42.2	368^th of 638 public elementary schools	42.3%	31	66.7	62.3	52.1			64.1	43.4	37.6			28.3		$4,759	$1,218	$763	$1,981	$1,931	$847	$2,778
Mayo Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 Springdale Road	Mayo	29368	Spartanburg County	Spartanburg 02	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 461-2622	328	23	14.2		277 (84.5%)	9 (2.7%)	17 (5.2%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (7.0%)	84.7	87^th of 640 public elementary schools	86.4%		85.1	87^th of 638 public elementary schools	86.4%		77.1	80.0	74.5			70.9	72.0	61.8			68.0		$13,458	$700	$1,252	$1,953	$10,232	$1,273	$11,506
Grassy Pond Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1146 Boiling Springs Highway	Gaffney	29341	Cherokee County	Cherokee 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 206-6671	519	33	15.5		325 (62.6%)	105 (20.2%)	73 (14.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.7%)	44.2	346^th of 640 public elementary schools	45.9%		56	278^th of 638 public elementary schools	56.4%	68	55.3	58.9	71.5			47.4	45.2	46.8			31.5		$4,628	$1,137	$737	$1,874	$1,909	$846	$2,754
B. D. Lee Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	401 Overbrook Drive	Gaffney	29341	Cherokee County	Cherokee 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 206-6432	603	40	15.1		115 (19.1%)	393 (65.2%)	55 (9.1%)	10 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.0%)	6.5	625^th of 640 public elementary schools	2.3%		4.8	633^rd of 638 public elementary schools	0.8%	8	29.5	32.8	41.4			20.0	24.7	24.3			15.1		$5,496	$1,653	$1,002	$2,655	$1,808	$1,032	$2,841
Cowpens Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	341 Foster Street	Cowpens	29330	Spartanburg County	Spartanburg 03	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 279-6300	460	37	12.4		293 (63.7%)	55 (12.0%)	80 (17.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.7%)	67.9	208^th of 640 public elementary schools	67.5%		60	250^th of 638 public elementary schools	60.8%	42	65.1	63.8	79.4			68.3	55.2	63.5			43.1		$14,648	$1,064	$1,314	$2,378	$10,825	$1,444	$12,269
Limestone-Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	727 Pacolet Highway	Gaffney	29341	Cherokee County	Cherokee 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 206-6620	436	33	13.2		202 (46.3%)	166 (38.1%)	44 (10.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (5.0%)	18.4	539^th of 640 public elementary schools	15.8%		10	599^th of 638 public elementary schools	6.1%	60	54.7	50.7	46.0			32.0	19.4	17.6			32.8		$5,349	$1,703	$838	$2,541	$1,963	$846	$2,808
Luther L. Vaughan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	192 Vaughan Road	Gaffney	29341	Cherokee County	Cherokee 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 206-6054	399	34	11.9		101 (25.3%)	161 (40.4%)	126 (31.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.8%)	4.4	635^th of 640 public elementary schools	0.8%		3.9	636^th of 638 public elementary schools	0.3%	1	30.6	28.2	32.9			24.0	19.6	17.9			10.9		$5,850	$1,627	$818	$2,445	$2,368	$1,037	$3,405
Chesnee Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	985 Fairfield Road	Chesnee	29323	Spartanburg County	Spartanburg 02	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 461-7322	635	42	15.3		510 (80.3%)	55 (8.7%)	17 (2.7%)	6 (0.9%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	41 (6.5%)	76.7	143^rd of 640 public elementary schools	77.7%		78	138^th of 638 public elementary schools	78.4%	5	73.8	71.7	76.8			63.9	60.7	76.8			51.6		$12,519	$813	$1,124	$1,937	$9,428	$1,154	$10,582
Goucher Charter Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	604 Goucher School	Gaffney	29304	Cherokee County	Limestone Charters Association	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(864) 300-2787	244	24	10.1		208 (85.2%)	7 (2.9%)	11 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.1%)	43.7	350^th of 640 public elementary schools	45.3%					(n/a)		64.7	64.0	45.8	51.3		44.1	40.0	25.7	21.6	53.0	40.0	$16,223	$696	$1,708	$2,404	$9,916	$3,903	$13,819
Cannons Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1315 Old Converse Road	Spartanburg	29307	Spartanburg County	Spartanburg 03	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 279-6100	389	32	12.1		223 (57.3%)	83 (21.3%)	56 (14.4%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.2%)	71.7	188^th of 640 public elementary schools	70.6%		75.2	150^th of 638 public elementary schools	76.5%	38	67.8	62.9	75.5			76.3	66.1	71.7			41.9		$18,776	$2,657	$1,509	$4,167	$11,408	$3,201	$14,610

Frequently Asked Questions about Northwest Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Northwest Elementary?

Students at Northwest Elementary are 80% White, 10% African American, 6% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Northwest Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 423 students attended Northwest Elementary.

What district is Northwest Elementary in?

Cherokee 01

Is Northwest Elementary a good school?

Northwest Elementary ranks 337^th of 640 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Northwest Elementary attend?

Students who attend Northwest Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Gaffney High

Rate Northwest Elementary!

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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.