Best Elementary Schools in Georgetown, SC

There are six elementary schools serving grades PK-5 in Georgetown, South Carolina, all part of the Georgetown 01 school district, which ranks in the bottom third of districts statewide. Kensington Elementary is the clear standout, earning the district's only 2-star rating and ranking 370th out of 649 schools. Its 5th-grade English Language Arts proficiency rate of 73.3% is exceptional—nearly 10 points above the state average—and it also showed strong growth in 5th-grade math, jumping from 47.6% to 59.2% year-over-year. At the other end of the spectrum, Sampit Elementary has a 0-star rating, ranks in the bottom 4% statewide, and posts a concerning 13.6% proficiency rate in 4th-grade science. Plantersville Elementary Digital Immersion School is notable for its high per-student spending of $32,548 and tiny enrollment of 78 students, yet it has the highest chronic absenteeism rate (28.1%) and no recent test score data available.

Across the district, mathematics proficiency lags significantly behind English Language Arts. Even at Kensington, only 36% of 3rd graders are proficient in math, compared to a 59.2% state average, while Brown's Ferry Elementary School for the Creative and Perform sees just 18.2% of its 3rd graders proficient in math. Science scores are universally low, with no school exceeding 32.9% proficiency. Chronic absenteeism appears to track with performance: the three schools with the highest absenteeism rates—Plantersville (28.1%), Sampit (23.0%), and Brown's Ferry (21.1%)—are also the lowest-performing, while McDonald Elementary has the lowest rate (19.4%) and performs relatively better. Maryville Elementary has declined significantly in rankings, dropping from 482nd to 597th over two years.

There is a striking spending-achievement paradox: Plantersville spends more than double what Kensington spends per student ($32,548 vs. $15,355) yet shows no academic advantage, suggesting that factors like school culture and instructional quality matter more than funding alone. Year-over-year data shows considerable volatility—Sampit's 3rd-grade math swung from 10.2% to 48.4% in one year—so single-year results should be interpreted cautiously. For parents, Kensington is the strongest choice academically, while McDonald offers a more stable middle-ground option. The district as a whole faces systemic challenges in math and science, and addressing chronic absenteeism may be a key lever for improvement across all schools.