Summary:
The city of Latta, South Carolina, served by the Dillon 03 school district, is home to three schools—Latta Elementary (PK-5), Latta Middle (6-8), and Latta High (9-12)—which together educate roughly 1,492 students and earn the district a solid 3-star rating, placing it in the upper-middle tier of South Carolina districts.
For parents, the standout school is clearly Latta Middle, which consistently earns 3 stars and posts exceptional math scores—most notably a 91.43% proficiency rate on the Algebra 1 exam, a staggering 17.5 points above the state average. Meanwhile, Latta Elementary is the district's turnaround story, jumping 58 spots in the state rankings and boosting 3rd grade math proficiency by an incredible 27.3 points in a single year. The most concerning trend is at Latta High, which has slipped from a 3-star to a 2-star rating over three years, with Algebra 1 proficiency at just 47.61%—a 26.3-point deficit versus the state. This creates a striking paradox: middle schoolers excel at Algebra 1, but high schoolers struggle on the same exam, suggesting a significant transition challenge between the two schools.
Beyond academics, the district shows strengths in attendance and graduation, with chronic absenteeism (15.9-20.2%) below the state average (22.3%) and a graduation rate of 87.5% that edges out the state. However, resource allocation raises questions: Latta Elementary spends $13,812 per student—62% more than Latta Middle's $8,512—yet the middle school outperforms in math. Additionally, a "5th grade slump" at the elementary level (ELA at 51.3%, math at 39.8%) suggests transition challenges before middle school. Overall, while Latta High's math struggles and declining rank are urgent concerns, the district's strong middle school and improving elementary school provide a solid foundation for families.
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