Best Public Schools in Ruffin, SC

Summary:

The city of Ruffin, South Carolina has only one public elementary school, Bells Elementary, which serves grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 278 students. The school is part of the Colleton 01 school district, which is ranked 72 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Bells Elementary does not appear to be a standout school, as it has consistently low rankings within the state, with a statewide rank of 525 out of 640 elementary schools in the 2024-2025 school year, and a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics are generally below the state and district averages, with some exceptions. In 3rd grade ELA, Bells Elementary's proficiency rate (61.9%) is slightly higher than the state average (61.8%), and in 5th grade ELA, the school's proficiency rate (60.4%) is higher than the district average (51.1%). However, in Mathematics, Bells Elementary's proficiency rates are significantly lower than the state averages across all grade levels.

Bells Elementary also faces other challenges, such as a high chronic absenteeism rate of 22.5% in the 2023-2024 school year, and a very high percentage of students (100%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population. Despite the relatively high per-student spending of $17,272 for the 2023-2024 school year and a low student-teacher ratio of 14.6, the school is still struggling academically, suggesting that simply allocating more resources may not be enough to address the school's underlying issues.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SC READY English Language Arts (2025)			SC READY Mathematics (2025)			SC READY Science (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Science 4th Grade	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
Bells Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12088 Bells Highway	Ruffin	29475	Colleton County	Colleton 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 782-0012	249	21	11.8		112 (45.0%)	103 (41.4%)	24 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.6%)	20.8	525^th of 640 public elementary schools	18.0%		12	578^th of 638 public elementary schools	9.4%	53	61.9	35.5	60.4	28.5	26.7	20.9	22.2	$18,199	$2,635	$2,047	$4,682	$11,181	$2,337	$13,518

Cities Near Ruffin

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Walterboro	10.67 mi	7	207^th
Branchville	16.41 mi	4	19^th
Varnville	18.04 mi	6	143^rd
Saint George	18.04 mi	1	119^th
Hampton	19.19 mi	4	109^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.