Summary:
The city of Starr, South Carolina, is served by two public schools within the Anderson 03 school district, which ranks in the 93rd percentile statewide with a 5-star rating, and together these schools—Starr Elementary (PK–5, 525 students) and Starr-Iva Middle (6–8, 616 students)—serve approximately 1,141 students in this rural community, with no high schools within city limits.
Starr Elementary is the clear academic standout, particularly in mathematics, where 4th-grade proficiency reached 82.9% in 2025-2026—a remarkable 30.6 points above the state average—and 3rd-grade math hit 88.8% the prior year. The school consistently ranks in the top 15% of elementary schools statewide (86th percentile in 2025-2026, up from 92nd percentile in prior years) and shows exceptional 4th-grade performance across all subjects, including 83.0% in ELA and 79.2% in science. By contrast, Starr-Iva Middle performs solidly but with more modest results, ranking in the 77th percentile of middle schools, and its math proficiency drops significantly to 48.6-56.7% compared to the elementary's 67-83% range—a notable achievement gap between the two schools.
Key concerns at the middle school include a chronic absenteeism rate of 30.2%, well above the district (25.3%) and state (22.3%) averages, which likely contributes to its slight ranking decline from 81st to 77th percentile over three years. However, the school shows encouraging year-over-year improvements in 7th and 8th grade math (jumping 14.3 and 17.4 points respectively), and its Algebra 1 EOCEP score of 100% proficiency far exceeds state averages, though this may reflect a select group of advanced students. Both schools spend nearly identically (~$13,000 per student), yet the elementary achieves better outcomes, suggesting greater efficiency. For parents, Starr Elementary offers exceptional early education, while Starr-Iva Middle provides strong but uneven performance, with attendance and math transition challenges worth monitoring.
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