Chesterfield 01

Chesterfield 01 is a rural South Carolina school district serving approximately 5,929 students across 16 schools, including 9 elementary, 3 middle, and 4 high schools, and currently holds a 1-star rating (59th out of 75 districts statewide).

For parents, the standout school in this district is Ruby Elementary, which ranks in the 50th percentile statewide (3 stars) and posts exceptional ELA proficiency rates—72.1% in 5th grade, well above the state average of 63.6%. At the high school level, Chesterfield High is the top performer, ranking 107th out of 245 schools (56th percentile) with strong English 1 (67.27%) and U.S. History (66.35%) scores. Chesterfield-Ruby Middle is a hidden gem, with 63.2% of 6th graders proficient in science (state average: 51.9%) and a perfect 100% proficiency on the Algebra 1 EOCEP. Meanwhile, McBee High offers the district's highest graduation rate at 88.7% and the lowest dropout rate (0.6%), suggesting its K-12 model supports student continuity.

The district's biggest challenge is mathematics, where proficiency rates lag state averages by 15-25 percentage points—for example, only 22.6% of 8th graders at New Heights Middle are proficient in math versus the 44.2% state average. Chronic absenteeism is also a concern, particularly at Petersburg Primary (34.7%) and Cheraw Primary (28.9%), which is troubling for the district's youngest learners. Notably, higher spending doesn't guarantee better outcomes—McBee Elementary spends the most per student ($15,844) but ranks in the 30th percentile, while Ruby Elementary achieves better results with less funding. The schools serving the Pageland area (Central High, New Heights Middle, Pageland Elementary, and Petersburg Primary) consistently rank at the bottom, suggesting community-level factors play a significant role. However, there are bright spots: Cheraw High achieved 78.12% proficiency in Algebra 1, and Chesterfield High's ranking improved from 121st to 107th, showing that targeted interventions can yield positive momentum.