Schools in Cayce, SC

The city of Cayce, South Carolina, is served by three public schools within the Lexington 02 school district, which ranks in the 29th percentile statewide and serves roughly 2,631 students across elementary, middle, and high school grades.

For parents, the standout school in Cayce is Cyril B. Busbee Creative Arts Academy, the district's smallest school. Despite its arts focus, this middle school shines brightest in math: an incredible 99.99% of students scored proficient on the Algebra 1 EOCEP exam, far outpacing the district (60.42%) and state (73.95%). Its 8th-grade math proficiency (44.1%) also edges out the state average, and math skills improve dramatically from 6th grade (20.6%) to 8th grade (44.1%). In contrast, Brookland-Cayce High shows a mixed picture. Its English 1 proficiency (78.45%) exceeds the state average by nearly 18 points, and the school jumped 32 percentage points in that subject year-over-year. However, its Algebra 1 proficiency (31.42%) is less than half the state average, and its graduation rate (71.9%) lags the state by 15 points. Cayce Elementary is the district's lowest-ranked school (8th percentile) despite spending the most per student ($16,104). Its ELA proficiency (40-44%) and math proficiency (28-31%) sit well below state averages, though it shows steady year-over-year reading gains across all grades.

Across the district, chronic absenteeism is a critical concern—all three schools exceed the state rate of 22.3%, with the high school reaching 32.7%. This likely contributes to the high dropout rate (5.8%, nearly triple the state's) and the 15-point graduation gap. The most puzzling finding is the math paradox: middle schoolers achieve near-perfect Algebra 1 scores, yet high school Algebra 1 proficiency is only 31.42%. This suggests either different student cohorts or a broader, less selective testing group at the high school. While the district consistently underperforms state averages by 10-30 points, the dramatic improvements in high school English and middle school math prove that focused interventions can yield real results.