Summary:
The city of Dillon, South Carolina, is served by the Dillon 04 school district, which includes four schools—Dillon Elementary (PK-3), Gordon Elementary (4-5), Dillon Middle (6-8), and Dillon High (9-12)—serving roughly 2,800 students. The district ranks in the bottom tier of South Carolina (8th percentile), and all schools received 0-1 stars, indicating significant challenges across every grade level.
Among the four schools, Dillon Middle stands out as the strongest performer, particularly in advanced math. It posted a remarkable 100% proficiency rate on the Algebra 1 EOCEP exam, far exceeding the district (57.8%) and state (74%) averages. Its 8th-grade math proficiency (30%) also leads the district, though it still trails the state (44.2%). Dillon High shows a bright spot in English 2, with 72.35% proficiency, approaching the state average of 83.79%, but its English 1 proficiency is just 32%. In contrast, the elementary schools struggle more broadly: Dillon Elementary has 3rd-grade ELA at 42.4% and math at 32.4%, while Gordon Elementary sees math proficiency drop to 22-27.8% in 4th and 5th grades, suggesting a difficult transition between schools.
Attendance is a major concern district-wide. Chronic absenteeism is 36.2% at Dillon High, 44.5% at Dillon Middle, and 33.4% at Gordon Elementary—all well above the state average of 22.3%. The dropout rate (5.6%) is more than double the state rate (2.1%), though the graduation rate (84.5%) is close to the state figure (86.7%). Per-student spending ($12,443-$13,084) is comparable to state levels, yet outcomes lag, pointing to deeper issues like attendance and socioeconomic factors rather than a lack of funding. For parents, Dillon Middle offers the most promising academic signals, but the district as a whole needs comprehensive support to improve consistency across all subjects and grades.
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