Summary:
Donalds, South Carolina, is home to a single school, Cherokee Trail Elementary, a PK-6 school serving 360 students in this small, rural community near the Georgia border.
As the only school in the area, Cherokee Trail Elementary stands out as a consistently high-performing institution. It has earned a 4-star rating for three consecutive years and currently ranks in the top 15% of elementary schools statewide, with its state ranking improving each year (93rd to 91st to 89th). The school is part of the Abbeville 60 district, which itself ranks in the top quartile of South Carolina districts. Academically, the school outperforms both its district and the state in every subject and grade level tested. For example, 6th grade English Language Arts proficiency is 78.5%, a remarkable 22.2 percentage points above the state average. Science scores are also strong, with 4th grade proficiency jumping 10 points in one year to 65.3%.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that Cherokee Trail Elementary offers a supportive and effective learning environment. The student-teacher ratio is a favorable 13.3:1, allowing for individualized attention, and chronic absenteeism is just 13.9%—far better than the state's 22.3% average. The school's main area for improvement is math, where proficiency dips notably in 5th grade (53.3%) compared to 3rd grade (78.6%), though it still exceeds the state average. Overall, this is a well-resourced, high-achieving rural school with a clear upward trajectory, making it an excellent choice for families in the Donalds area.
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