Summary:
The Georgetown 01 school district in South Carolina is home to 10 elementary schools serving grades PK-5 (with one exception), and while the district overall ranks in the 32nd percentile statewide, there are dramatic differences in performance, resources, and challenges among its schools.
For parents, the standout school is Waccamaw Elementary, which posts the highest test scores in the district—84.9% of 3rd graders are proficient in ELA and 74.6% in math, far exceeding state averages. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (11.2%) and spends relatively little per student ($14,891). Pleasant Hill Elementary STREAM Academy is another strong option, especially for 4th grade, where 86.9% of students are proficient in ELA and 76.3% in math, though its 5th grade math scores drop sharply to just 20.7%. Coastal Montessori Charter shows a unique pattern: weak elementary math (only 11-14% proficiency) but strong middle school ELA, with 90.9% of 8th graders proficient. On the other end, Sampit Elementary is the district's biggest concern, ranking in the bottom 4% of schools statewide with just 13.6% of 4th graders proficient in science.
Chronic absenteeism appears to be a key factor—the district average is 20.2%, but Plantersville Elementary has the highest rate at 28.1% and also spends the most per student ($32,548) while showing no recent test data. Brown's Ferry Elementary School for the Creative and Perform and Maryville Elementary also struggle with attendance and academics. Interestingly, higher spending does not correlate with better outcomes—the top-performing school spends nearly $18,000 less per student than the lowest-performing one. Science proficiency is a district-wide weakness, with only Pleasant Hill exceeding the state average. Parents should consider grade-level performance carefully, as some schools excel in early grades but decline later, and attendance rates may be a strong predictor of success.
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