Summary:
Midway Elementary is the sole public school serving Cassatt, South Carolina, a small community in the Kershaw 01 school district, and it educates students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade with an enrollment of 338 students.
For parents considering this school, the most important takeaway is that Midway Elementary faces significant academic challenges, particularly in mathematics. In the 2025–2026 school year, 3rd grade math proficiency was just 24.6%, compared to 59.2% statewide—a gap of nearly 35 percentage points. Similar gaps exist in 4th and 5th grade math, where proficiency rates are 31.7% and 27.0%, respectively, versus state averages above 49%. English Language Arts (ELA) performance is stronger but still below average, with 5th grade ELA at 54% proficiency (state: 63.6%) and 4th grade at 51.2% (state: 65.4%). The school’s best relative performance is in 4th grade science, which reached 48.8% proficiency in 2024–2025, nearly matching the state average of 49.1%. However, the school’s overall state ranking has remained in the bottom 15th–26th percentile for three consecutive years, earning a 1-star rating.
Two critical concerns stand out. First, chronic absenteeism is alarmingly high at 29.3% (2024–2025), well above the district’s 21.0% and the state’s 22.3%—a factor likely undermining academic progress. Second, despite spending $15,712 per student, which is above typical state levels, results remain low, suggesting resources are not translating into achievement gains. There is also notable year-over-year volatility, such as 5th grade ELA jumping from 25% to 54% proficiency, which may reflect small class sizes (roughly 56 students per grade) and shifting cohort dynamics. While the school shows pockets of strength in science and some ELA improvement, parents should be aware that math instruction and attendance are the most urgent areas needing intervention.
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