Summary:
The city of Cheraw, South Carolina, is served by the Chesterfield 01 school district, which operates four schools—two elementary, one middle, and one high school—educating roughly 1,859 students in a lower-income community.
For parents, the standout school is Cheraw High, which is the clear academic leader in the district. Its Algebra 1 proficiency rate of 78.12% not only beats the district average by nearly 19 points but also surpasses the state average, and its English 2 scores nearly match the state. The high school also posts a low dropout rate of 0.7% and a graduation rate of 84.7%. In contrast, Cheraw Intermediate is the biggest concern, ranking in the 7th percentile statewide with 5th-grade math proficiency at just 22.8%—less than half the state average. Long Middle shows mixed results, with a notable bright spot in 7th grade, where ELA proficiency (58.4%) nearly matches the state and math improved dramatically from 14.4% to 34.5% in one year. Cheraw Primary serves the youngest students and has the highest chronic absenteeism rate at 28.9%.
District-wide, chronic absenteeism is a hidden crisis—nearly 1 in 3 students at the primary and middle school levels miss significant instructional time. Despite spending a competitive $14,000–$15,000 per student and maintaining favorable student-teacher ratios (around 12–14:1), academic outcomes lag state averages, especially in math and science at the elementary and middle levels. However, the high school’s strong math performance and the 7th-grade turnaround suggest effective interventions exist. The district also shows year-over-year volatility, indicating sensitivity to cohort differences. Overall, while challenges are significant, the bright spots at Cheraw High and in 7th grade at Long Middle demonstrate that improvement is possible with targeted support.
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