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Best Public Schools in Johnston, SC

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At a glance

Schools

1,390

Students

Top rankedStrom Thurmond High147^th of 245 South Carolina high schools

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Biggest riser

Johnston Elementary up 84 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

The city of Johnston, South Carolina, is served by three public schools within the Edgefield 01 district, which together educate roughly 1,390 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade in a small, close-knit community setting.

For parents, the standout performer in this district is Johnston-Edgefield-Trenton Middle, which leads the pack academically. Its 8th-grade English Language Arts proficiency (59.6%) actually beats the state average, and its Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam results are nothing short of extraordinary—a perfect 100% proficiency rate, far outpacing both the district and state. Meanwhile, Strom Thurmond High shines specifically in English 2, where 88.8% of students meet or exceed standards, also surpassing the state. However, the high school struggles in other areas, including English 1 and math. Johnston Elementary is the district's biggest improvement story, climbing from the 7th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 30th percentile in 2025-2026, though it still ranks lowest overall and shows concerning declines in math as students progress from 3rd to 5th grade.

Key metrics reveal a mixed picture. The high school's graduation rate (88.6%) exceeds the state average, and its dropout rate (2.1%) is on par with state norms. However, chronic absenteeism is a hidden crisis, affecting over 26% of students at both the elementary and high school levels—well above the state's 22.3%—while the middle school sits slightly below the district average. Interestingly, Johnston Elementary spends the most per student ($19,037) and has the best student-teacher ratio (11.1:1), yet produces the weakest results, suggesting resources alone don't drive outcomes. The middle school's dramatic gap between 6th-grade math (19.2% proficiency) and Algebra 1 (100%) also hints at either exceptional targeted instruction or a highly selective testing group. Overall, the district earns a 3-star rating, and while there are bright spots, parents should note the persistent math struggles and attendance issues that need attention.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SC READY English Language Arts (2026)						SC READY Mathematics (2026)						SC READY Science (2026)		EOCEP English 1 (2026)	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution (2026)	EOCEP English 2 (2026)	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 (2024)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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 English Language Arts 6th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 8th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 7th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 8th Grade	SC READY Science 4th Grade	SC READY Science 6th Grade	EOCEP English 1 End of Course	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution End of Course	EOCEP English 2 End of Course	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
Johnston-Edgefield-Trenton Middle	Public	6-8	1095 Columbia Road	Johnston	29832	Edgefield County	Edgefield 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 275-1997	394	32	12.3	79.0%	133 (33.8%)	194 (49.2%)	45 (11.4%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.1%)	30.8	235^th of 335 public middle schools	29.9%		34.3	206^th of 320 public middle schools	35.6%	29				39.8	54.2	59.6				19.2	35.6	29.3		31.9				$15,258	$976	$827	$1,803	$11,650	$1,805	$13,455
Johnston Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	514 Lee Street	Johnston	29832	Edgefield County	Edgefield 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 275-1755	276	25	11.1	98.8%	57 (20.7%)	158 (57.2%)	39 (14.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	20 (7.2%)	30	456^th of 649 public elementary schools	29.7%		17.9	540^th of 640 public elementary schools	15.6%	84	58.7	47.7	51.3				54.4	38.7	34.2				36.3					$19,037	$2,334	$962	$3,296	$14,167	$1,574	$15,741
Strom Thurmond High	Public	9-12	1131 Columbia Road	Johnston	29832	Edgefield County	Edgefield 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 275-1768	720	47	15.3	68.2%	284 (39.4%)	308 (42.8%)	83 (11.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	40 (5.6%)	42.4	147^th of 245 public high schools	40.0%		18.4	197^th of 235 public high schools	16.2%	50															50.3	39.0	88.8	$17,471	$2,173	$625	$2,798	$11,945	$2,728	$14,673
Strom Thurmond Career and Technology Center	Public	9-12	17 Par Drive	Johnston	29832	Edgefield County	Edgefield 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 275-1767	0	12	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Cities Near Johnston

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Edgefield	7.12 mi	1	68^th
Trenton	7.21 mi	3	195^th
Ridge Spring	8.7 mi	1	188^th
Monetta	10.59 mi	1	196^th
Saluda	11.87 mi	4	156^th

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.