Summary:
The city of McClellanville, South Carolina is home to two elementary schools - Cape Romain Environmental Education Charter School, a public charter school, and St. James Santee Elementary-Middle, a traditional public school. While both serve grades K-8, the data analysis reveals significant performance differences between the two schools.
Cape Romain Environmental Education Charter School consistently outperforms the district and state averages in key metrics such as test scores, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and ranking 126 out of 638 South Carolina elementary schools. In contrast, St. James Santee Elementary-Middle struggles, ranking 503 out of 644 schools and earning a 1-star rating. The charter school's students demonstrate higher proficiency in subjects like 4th-grade ELA and 3rd-grade and 5th-grade math, while the traditional public school lags behind in academic performance.
Further analysis reveals that the schools differ significantly in their student demographics and funding. Cape Romain Environmental Education Charter School has a relatively low free and reduced lunch rate of 3.76%, suggesting a more affluent student population, while St. James Santee Elementary-Middle has a 100% free and reduced lunch rate, indicating a high-poverty student body. Additionally, St. James Santee Elementary-Middle spends significantly more per student ($52,080) compared to Cape Romain Environmental Education Charter School ($12,284), yet the higher funding does not translate to better academic outcomes.
Thank you for your feedback!