Best Public Schools in Effingham, SC

Summary:

The city of Effingham, South Carolina is home to two standout elementary schools: Dewey-Carter Elementary and Savannah Grove Elementary. Both schools have consistently performed well, ranking in the top half of all South Carolina elementary schools and earning 3-star ratings from SchoolDigger.

Dewey-Carter Elementary outperformed district and state averages in several key test score metrics, including 3rd grade ELA and Math, and 5th grade ELA. With a student-teacher ratio of 14.1, the school appears to provide a supportive learning environment. Similarly, Savannah Grove Elementary excelled in 5th grade ELA and 4th grade Science, and boasts an even lower student-teacher ratio of 12.6.

Despite their strong academic performance, both schools face significant challenges, with 100% of their students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating high poverty levels in the Effingham area. Additionally, both schools struggle with high chronic absenteeism rates of 22.5%, which may negatively impact student learning. Addressing these issues will be crucial for the Florence 01 district to ensure the continued success of these standout schools.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SC READY English Language Arts (2025)			SC READY Mathematics (2025)			SC READY Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SC READY English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 4th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Science 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Savannah Grove Elementary	Public	K-5	2348 Savannah Grove Road	Effingham	29541	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 664-8463	385	31	12.4		69 (17.9%)	267 (69.4%)	19 (4.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	27 (7.0%)	53.4	285^th of 640 public elementary schools	55.5%		51	305^th of 638 public elementary schools	52.2%	20	59.0	58.6	69.3	63.9	41.4	38.7	56.9	$16,581	$1,045	$1,569	$2,614	$12,226	$1,741	$13,967
Dewey-Carter Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4937 South Irby Street	Effingham	29541	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 664-8479	606	44	13.7		246 (40.6%)	262 (43.2%)	60 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.3%)	52.1	295^th of 640 public elementary schools	53.9%		54.8	284^th of 638 public elementary schools	55.5%	11	70.0	49.4	61.7	76.7	44.9	45.7	41.8	$13,632	$982	$959	$1,941	$10,252	$1,439	$11,691

Cities Near Effingham

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Florence	1.02 mi	22	91^st
Timmonsville	9.37 mi	2	193^rd
Coward	10.21 mi	1	114^th
Darlington	13.09 mi	8	125^th
Scranton	14.25 mi	1	133^rd

See the top SC South Carolina cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Carolina Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.