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Ford Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

613^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 640 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Ford Elementary is a public elementary school in Laurens, South Carolina, serving 418 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Laurens 55 School District, which is ranked 61 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Ford Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 25% of South Carolina elementary schools, with significantly below-average performance on state assessments. In 2024-2025, only 29.9% of 3rd graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 50.2% in the Laurens 55 district and 61.8% statewide. The school's performance is particularly low in mathematics, with only 18.9% of 5th graders proficient or better, compared to 25.7% in the district and 48.1% statewide. Ford Elementary also has a high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 22.5% to 30.5% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average.

While the nearby Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle, Waterloo Elementary, and Laurens Elementary schools in the Laurens 55 district generally perform better than Ford Elementary, they also serve a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students and have similar chronic absenteeism rates. The schools in the neighboring Laurens 56 district, such as Joanna Woodson Elementary and Eastside Elementary, tend to outperform the Laurens 55 schools, suggesting that factors beyond just student demographics may be contributing to the academic outcomes.

423

Students ?

10.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,791

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

601 Lucas Avenue
Laurens, SC 29360

(864) 984-3986

District: Laurens 55

Students who attend Ford Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Sanders Middle
High:	Laurens District 55 High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

44.0%

White:

28.6%

African American:

22.0%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Ford Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 5th percentile in 2015 → 4th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (29% vs 56% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 29 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg41%

South Carolina avg56%

613^th of 640

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Laurens 55

61^st of 75Laurens 55 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	8.5	613 of 640	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.8	604 of 638	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.8	615 of 644	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.2	570 of 625	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.4	583 of 622	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.9	628 of 643	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.2	521 of 624	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	11.8	596 of 639	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.4	588 of 619	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.7	609 of 638	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	14.7	588 of 630	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	16.4	544 of 599	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	23.5	508 of 594	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	23.6	503 of 597	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	27.8	479 of 589	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	34.7	420 of 580	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	24.4	489 of 577	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	40.6	387 of 566	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	43.6	358 of 559	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2005	54.7	282 of 557	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2004	65.2	190 of 550	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2003	42.1	349 of 542	35.6%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	10.5	414 of 421	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.1	354 of 412	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	13.5	96 of 104	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	74 of 79	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.0	74 of 84	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.3	83 of 84	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.4	102 of 104	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.1	76 of 82	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	5.6	576 of 581	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.0	563 of 565	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.6	574 of 580	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.0	540 of 573	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.0	534 of 554	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.6	582 of 588	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.6	492 of 570	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	14.6	146 of 156	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.6	108 of 115	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.7	108 of 115	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.8	108 of 115	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.3	86 of 86	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.1	114 of 116	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.2	96 of 104	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	11.7	583 of 613	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.6	554 of 599	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.9	543 of 608	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	504 of 600	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.1	526 of 580	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.7	586 of 600	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	26.0	471 of 588	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	12.6	526 of 586	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.2	484 of 568	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	517 of 582	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.1	514 of 579	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.4	524 of 561	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.4	572 of 590	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.7	480 of 571	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	2.8	468 of 472	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.0	386 of 457	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)10th percentile+6 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)8th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)6th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)5th percentile~ school

African American (2019)2nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)1st percentile-3 vs school

White (2019)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts34%-29 vs state

Mathematics27%-26 vs state

Science23%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ford 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 English Language Arts 8th 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 Mathematics 8th 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
Ford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	601 Lucas Avenue	Laurens	29360	Laurens County	Laurens 55	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 984-3986	423	42	10.0		121 (28.6%)	93 (22.0%)	186 (44.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.4%)	8.5	613^th of 640 public elementary schools	4.2%		9.8	604^th of 638 public elementary schools	5.3%	9	29.9	29.5	41.5				28.4	34.1	18.9				22.7		$15,791	$1,436	$456	$1,893	$11,084	$2,813	$13,898
Laurens Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	301 Henry Street	Laurens	29360	Laurens County	Laurens 55	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 984-3067	465	45	10.3		212 (45.6%)	183 (39.4%)	53 (11.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (3.2%)	17.1	548^th of 640 public elementary schools	14.4%		29.7	447^th of 638 public elementary schools	29.9%	101	49.4	45.3	44.8				36.7	26.6	24.1				29.7		$15,289	$1,603	$453	$2,056	$10,543	$2,690	$13,233
E. B. Morse Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Parkview Drive	Laurens	29360	Laurens County	Laurens 55	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 984-7777	447	37	12.0		164 (36.7%)	240 (53.7%)	28 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.7%)	24.1	497^th of 640 public elementary schools	22.3%		16.9	542^nd of 638 public elementary schools	15.0%	45	52.8	44.1	52.9				44.4	33.9	35.8				20.4		$15,009	$1,351	$459	$1,810	$10,385	$2,814	$13,199
Clinton Elementary	Public	K-5	800 Chestnut Street	Clinton	29325	Laurens County	Laurens 56	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 833-0812	422	29	14.5		144 (34.1%)	203 (48.1%)	36 (8.5%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.8%)	22.9	506^th of 640 public elementary schools	20.9%		50.8	307^th of 638 public elementary schools	51.9%	199	42.4	55.2	46.0				24.6	40.3	24.0				43.3		$14,827	$1,825	$1,639	$3,464	$9,867	$1,497	$11,363
Eastside Elementary	Public	K-5	103 Old Colony Road	Clinton	29325	Laurens County	Laurens 56	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 833-0827	462	31	14.9		229 (49.6%)	156 (33.8%)	44 (9.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.7%)	75.3	157^th of 640 public elementary schools	75.5%		54.1	291^st of 638 public elementary schools	54.4%	134	78.2	75.8	62.0				78.2	66.1	45.0				64.5		$14,193	$1,965	$1,611	$3,576	$9,277	$1,340	$10,617
Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	9210 Highway 14	Gray Court	29645	Laurens County	Laurens 55	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 876-2131	715	68	10.5		379 (53.0%)	117 (16.4%)	176 (24.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	8 (1.1%)	33 (4.6%)	16.6	554^th of 640 public elementary schools	13.4%		14.2	560^th of 638 public elementary schools	12.2%	6	37.8	47.4	38.3	42.4	47.8	46.5	37.9	34.2	16.1	7.5	20.3	11.3	30.2	39.4	$14,778	$1,293	$429	$1,722	$10,446	$2,609	$13,055
Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	163 Neely Ferry Road	Gray Court	29645	Laurens County	Laurens 55	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 575-2126	623	51	12.2		530 (85.1%)	43 (6.9%)	38 (6.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.8%)	40.7	371^st of 640 public elementary schools	42.0%		34.4	417^th of 638 public elementary schools	34.6%	46	63.4	57.6	63.8	50.0	50.8	48.4	43.3	36.4	40.4	28.0	28.6	22.6	45.4	42.7	$14,926	$1,280	$454	$1,734	$10,682	$2,510	$13,192
Waterloo Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10457 Highway 221 South	Waterloo	29384	Laurens County	Laurens 55	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 677-5610	254	30	8.5		186 (73.2%)	39 (15.4%)	10 (3.9%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.7%)	66.5	214^th of 640 public elementary schools	66.6%		59.8	253^rd of 638 public elementary schools	60.3%	39	88.6	80.6	41.7				88.6	67.8	20.8				45.2		$17,444	$1,448	$595	$2,043	$12,332	$3,069	$15,401
Joanna-Woodson Elementary	Public	K-5	510 South Ellis Street	Joanna	29351	Laurens County	Laurens 56	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 697-6480	293	26	11.2		179 (61.1%)	62 (21.2%)	26 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.9%)	41	367^th of 640 public elementary schools	42.7%		50.7	308^th of 638 public elementary schools	51.7%	59	51.7	62.0	45.4				41.4	49.0	52.2				49.0		$17,683	$2,377	$1,875	$4,252	$11,395	$2,035	$13,431
Woodruff Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	200 Lucy P. Edwards Road	Woodruff	29388	Spartanburg County	Spartanburg 04	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 476-3174	776	49	15.6		490 (63.1%)	103 (13.3%)	91 (11.7%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	86 (11.1%)								(n/a)															$11,304	$1,555	$675	$2,230	$7,933	$1,141	$9,073

Frequently Asked Questions about Ford Elementary

How many students attend Ford Elementary?

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

What schools do graduates of Ford Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ford Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sanders Middle
High : Laurens District 55 High

Is Ford Elementary a good school?

Ford Elementary ranks in the bottom 4.2% of South Carolina elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Ford Elementary?

Students at Ford Elementary are 44% Hispanic, 29% White, 22% African American, 5% Two or more races.

What district is Ford Elementary in?

Laurens 55

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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.