Summary:
The city of Hampton, South Carolina, is served by two public schools within the Hampton School District, which together provide a continuous educational pathway for students from Pre-Kindergarten through 6th grade, with a combined enrollment of nearly 500 students.
For parents, the standout school in this area is Ben Hazel Primary, which serves grades PK-3 and demonstrates notably strong English Language Arts (ELA) performance. In the most recent school year, its 4th-grade ELA proficiency rate of 77.2% significantly outpaced both the district (64.7%) and state (65.4%) averages, and its 3rd-grade ELA score of 65.9% also exceeded the state average. This school also shows a promising upward trajectory in early literacy, with scores improving year over year. In contrast, Hampton Elementary, serving grades 4-6, shows more mixed results—while its ELA scores are generally solid, it struggles considerably in mathematics and science, with math proficiency rates falling well below state averages in several grades.
The most critical finding for parents is the significant gap between ELA and math proficiency across both schools. While students perform at or near state levels in reading, math proficiency drops dramatically—for example, only 30.5% of 5th graders at Hampton Elementary were proficient in math compared to the state average of 49.1%. This suggests a systemic issue with math instruction that warrants attention. Additionally, chronic absenteeism presents a mixed picture: Hampton Elementary (17.5%) performs better than state averages, while Ben Hazel Primary (25.2%) is worse, which is concerning given the importance of early-grade attendance. Both schools benefit from substantial per-student spending (over $17,000) and low student-teacher ratios (10:1 to 13.4:1), indicating strong resource investment that is not yet translating into math proficiency gains.
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