Summary:
Whitmire, South Carolina, is served by two schools within the Newberry 01 school district, which together educate 514 students across grades PK-12 on a shared campus. The district itself ranks in the 49th percentile statewide, but the two schools tell very different stories of performance and momentum.
Whitmire Community School (High) is the clear standout, serving grades 6-12 and earning a 4-star rating in the 71st percentile—up from 3 stars just two years ago. It posts a remarkable 97% graduation rate with a 0% dropout rate, far exceeding district and state averages. The school outperforms both district and state in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade English Language Arts, and its 6th grade science proficiency (62.5%) is 26 points above the district average. Math scores improve dramatically as students progress, jumping from 30% proficiency in 6th grade to 51.6% in 8th grade—the latter exceeding the state average. However, chronic absenteeism sits at a concerning 30.7%, well above the state's 22.3%, even as graduation outcomes remain stellar.
Whitmire Community School (Elementary) serves grades PK-5 and has seen its ranking slide from the 68th to the 46th percentile over two years. It still posts solid ELA scores—4th grade proficiency of 61.5% beats the district by 8 points—and 4th grade science (58.9%) exceeds the state. Yet math lags, with 4th grade proficiency at just 38.5% versus the state's 52.3%. The school also spends $5,105 less per student than the high school, and its 5th grade ELA proficiency dropped sharply from 75.7% to 60.0% in one year. Chronic absenteeism (21.8%) is slightly below the state average but remains a concern. For parents, the high school offers exceptional outcomes and rising performance, while the elementary school shows strengths in ELA and science but needs attention in math and consistency.
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