Summary:
Elementary schools in Manning, South Carolina, serve approximately 1,140 students across two schools within the Clarendon 06 school district, which holds a 2-star rating and ranks in the 35th percentile statewide.
For parents comparing the two schools, Manning Early Childhood Center (grades PK-3) and Manning Elementary (grades 3-5) present very different profiles. The most striking difference is chronic absenteeism: Manning Early Childhood Center reports a 45.2% rate—more than double the state average of 22.3%—while Manning Elementary sits at 29.8%. This is a critical concern because attendance habits formed in early grades often persist. Interestingly, Manning Early Childhood Center spends more per student ($15,819 vs. $13,016) yet has only a slightly better student-teacher ratio (17.1:1 vs. 18.9:1), suggesting the higher spending isn't translating into better attendance outcomes. Both schools exceed the district's already-high absenteeism rate of 29.4%.
Academically, Manning Elementary shows a stark contrast between subjects. English Language Arts is a relative bright spot, with 3rd grade proficiency jumping 13 points to 54% and 5th grade reaching 56.6%—close to the state average. However, mathematics tells a troubling story: proficiency falls from 48.5% in 3rd grade to 36.6% in 4th grade and plummets to just 23.3% in 5th grade, a 25-point gap that widens the school's deficit versus the state from 10.7 to 25.8 points. Year-over-year, math declined at every grade level, with 5th grade dropping 10.5 points. The school's state ranking has slipped from the 28th to 23rd percentile. Since both schools serve 3rd graders, students transitioning from Manning Early Childhood Center may arrive with different engagement levels given the attendance disparity, though no test data is available for the early childhood center to confirm this.
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