Summary:
The city of Andrews, South Carolina, is served by a compact three-school system within the Georgetown 01 district, educating roughly 1,431 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade on a shared campus corridor.
For parents, the most striking pattern is a clear academic decline as students advance. Andrews Elementary is the clear bright spot, with 5th grade math proficiency (48.9%) actually exceeding the district average and 5th grade ELA (56.7%) approaching the state norm. However, the transition to Rosemary Middle brings a dramatic drop-off—8th grade math proficiency sits at just 17.1%, less than half the state average, and ELA proficiency falls to 34.2%. This "middle school cliff" is the district's most urgent challenge. By the time students reach Andrews High, performance is consistently in the bottom 5% of the state, with Algebra 1 proficiency at 39.5% and English 1 at just 26.6%.
Yet there are notable exceptions worth celebrating. Rosemary Middle achieved a perfect 100% proficiency rate on the Algebra 1 EOCEP exam, far exceeding state averages—proof that advanced coursework can succeed with proper support. Andrews High also shows an unusual 44-point gap between English 1 (26.6%) and English 2 (70.7%), suggesting a strong upper-level English program. The high school maintains an 85.8% graduation rate, nearly matching the state average, despite high chronic absenteeism (31.2%). Interestingly, spending doesn't correlate with outcomes: Andrews High spends the most per student ($17,959) yet performs worst, while the elementary school spends the least ($15,995) and performs best. For parents, this means looking beyond rankings—the elementary school offers genuine promise, the middle school needs careful monitoring, and the high school has isolated strengths that could be expanded.
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