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Pleasant Knoll Elementary

Public Grades K-5
48th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 640 South Carolina Elementary Schools
Better than 92% of South Carolina elementary schools
Summary

Pleasant Knoll Elementary is a public elementary school in Fort Mill, South Carolina, serving 778 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the highly-ranked York 04 School District, which is rated 1 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Pleasant Knoll Elementary is a high-performing school, consistently ranking among the top elementary schools in South Carolina. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school ranked 48th out of 640 elementary schools in the state, with a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school has maintained a 5-star rating for most of the past decade, with the exception of the 2018-2019 school year when it received a 4-star rating. Pleasant Knoll Elementary outperforms the state and district averages in standardized test scores for English Language Arts and Mathematics, with proficiency rates around 80-90%, significantly higher than the state averages of 61.8% and 56.3%, respectively. The school's performance in Science is also strong, with 4th-grade students achieving a 66.2% proficiency rate, compared to the state average of 49.1%.

When compared to nearby schools, Pleasant Knoll Elementary's performance is generally stronger, with higher test scores and lower chronic absenteeism rates. Schools like River Trail Elementary, Tega Cay Elementary, and Gold Hill Elementary also perform exceptionally well and are ranked among the top elementary schools in the state. However, some schools like Riverview Elementary and Fort Mill Elementary have lower test scores and higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to Pleasant Knoll.

774
Students ?
12.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
$13,580
Per pupil spending ?
14.9%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 2346 Pleasant Road
       Fort Mill, SC  29708

(803) 835-0090

District: York 04


Students who attend Pleasant Knoll Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Pleasant Knoll Middle
Racial breakdown:

White:
51.8%
Asian:
20.4%
Hispanic:
10.9%
more
 See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

 Compare Pleasant Knoll Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 98th percentile in 2015 → 92nd in 2025
Strengths
Test scores above the South Carolina average (77% vs 56% meeting standards)
Ranks in the top 8% of South Carolina elementary schools
Worth a look
!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2015
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school77%
District avg77%
South Carolina avg56%
48th of 640
South Carolina public elementary schools ?
Top 8%▼ down 6 pts since 2015
From top 2% (2015) to top 8% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
7th of 11Elementary Schools in the York 04
1st of 75York 04 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202590.248 of 64092.5%★★★★★
202494.425 of 63896.1%★★★★★
202395.022 of 64496.6%★★★★★
202293.737 of 62594.1%★★★★★
202194.429 of 62295.3%★★★★★
201987.266 of 64389.7%★★★★☆
201892.937 of 62494.1%★★★★★
201794.621 of 63996.7%★★★★★
201694.117 of 61997.3%★★★★★
201595.911 of 63898.3%★★★★★
201492.09 of 63098.6%★★★★★
201392.17 of 59998.8%★★★★★
201293.93 of 59499.5%★★★★★
201191.714 of 59797.7%★★★★★

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202570.13 of 862.5%★★★★☆
202475.22 of 771.4%★★★★☆
202379.52 of 771.4%★★★★☆
202269.22 of 666.7%★★★★☆
202172.61 of 366.7%★★★★★

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202562.744 of 14770.1%★★★★☆
202491.37 of 14395.1%★★★★★
202396.36 of 17496.6%★★★★★
201872.924 of 16185.1%★★★★☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202297.03 of 8496.4%★★★★★
202199.42 of 8497.6%★★★★★
201981.515 of 10485.6%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202588.940 of 58193.1%★★★★★
202493.420 of 56596.5%★★★★★
202394.515 of 58097.4%★★★★★
202294.821 of 57396.3%★★★★★
202193.927 of 55495.1%★★★★★
201988.550 of 58891.5%★★★★★
201892.431 of 57094.6%★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202571.318 of 10182.2%★★★★☆
202476.44 of 8295.1%★★★★★
202273.912 of 10989.0%★★★★☆
202171.438 of 14774.1%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
201973.526 of 11677.6%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202555.5258 of 61357.9%★★★☆☆
202459.4236 of 59960.6%★★★☆☆
202379.692 of 60884.9%★★★★☆
202261.6219 of 60063.5%★★★☆☆
201955.3280 of 60053.3%★★★☆☆
201881.377 of 58886.9%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202588.748 of 58691.8%★★★★★
202493.430 of 56894.7%★★★★★
202393.825 of 58295.7%★★★★★
202290.446 of 57992.1%★★★★★
202193.331 of 56194.5%★★★★★
201982.685 of 59085.6%★★★★☆
201891.435 of 57193.9%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202570.0132 of 46071.3%★★★★☆
202480.466 of 44185.0%★★★★☆
202383.056 of 46387.9%★★★★☆
202284.457 of 45587.5%★★★★☆
202179.573 of 43983.4%★★★★☆
201977.385 of 47282.0%★★★★☆
201882.666 of 45785.6%★★★★☆
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)
English Language Learner (2022)96th percentile~ school
Female (2025)93rd percentile~ school
Male (2025)92nd percentile~ school
Gifted and Talented (2025)82nd percentile-10 vs school
Hispanic (2019)78th percentile-12 vs school
White (2025)71st percentile-21 vs school
Disabled (2025)70th percentile-22 vs school
Asian (2025)62nd percentile-30 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)58th percentile-35 vs school
By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts82%+20 vs state
Mathematics74%+22 vs state
Science66%+17 vs state

5.0
1 rating · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a parent
Thursday, July 14, 2011

Open Quote I have a rising 2nd grader who has been at Pleasant Knoll since kindergarten. I can not say enough great things about this school! The teachers we have been assigned have been very enthusiastic, creative and caring. They seem excited about teaching and passionate about their kids actually learning. They were also really good at communicating with us as parents. I am involved in the PTO and other teachers and staff that I have encountered have been great as well. I believe the school is so great because of a top-down expectation of excellence from everyone. The Principal, Mr. Travis Howard, sets the tone for the entire school -- teachers, staff, students and parents included.

There are a couple of small disappointments. The school is situated on a somewhat small patch of land, which has not allowed for a big field for events such as field day and school fairs. We do hold events at nearby Gold Hill ES/MS so our kids are not missing out. It would just be nice to have these events at our own school. Secondly, the Assistant Principal from the first two years, Mr. Peter Olinger, has accepted a Principalship at Springfield Elementary. He and Mr. Howard worked really well together. From a parents point of view, they we kind of yin and yang -- one very high energy and one really low key and laid back, both really fine educators. While I am happy for him, I am selfishly sad to see Mr. Olinger leave. Finally, I wish there were more parents involved in the PTO. We have a really dynamic group of moms and dads working to make our school the best it can be, but we could always use more heads and hands. I don't think that's any different from any school or organization.

I have a 5 year old entering kindergarten at PKES this fall. I am so excited for him that he gets to go to such a fantastic school! Close Quote





Schools Near Pleasant Knoll Elementary

Ranking: Map legend
E = Elementary, M = Middle, H = High, A = Alternative, P = Private






Frequently Asked Questions about Pleasant Knoll Elementary

Yes. Pleasant Knoll Elementary ranks in the top 7.5% of South Carolina elementary schools.

Students who attend Pleasant Knoll Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Pleasant Knoll Middle

In the 2024-25 school year, 774 students attended Pleasant Knoll Elementary.

Students at Pleasant Knoll Elementary are 52% White, 20% Asian, 11% Hispanic, 9% African American, 7% Two or more races.


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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.





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