Jasper 01

Jasper 01 is a small South Carolina school district serving roughly 2,900 students in grades PK-12 across four schools: two elementary schools and two combined junior/senior high schools. The district ranks in the bottom 5% of South Carolina districts, with all schools earning 0-1 stars, but the data reveals meaningful differences between schools that are important for parents to understand.

For families choosing between the two high schools, Hardeeville Junior/Senior High stands out for student retention: its 88.8% graduation rate far exceeds Ridgeland Secondary Academy of Excellence's 67.0%, and its 0.5% dropout rate is the district's best. However, Ridgeland Secondary Academy of Excellence counters with stronger English 2 proficiency (77.6% vs. 72.2%) and a more favorable 12.9 student-teacher ratio. Both schools struggle with math, but Hardeeville Junior/Senior High shows surprising strength in 7th and 8th grade ELA (45.7% and 43.6% proficiency), while Ridgeland Secondary Academy of Excellence has shown recent improvement in 6th grade math and science.

At the elementary level, Ridgeland Elementary consistently outperforms Hardeeville Elementary by 10-20 percentage points across subjects, with 3rd grade math proficiency of 39.7% versus 19.2%. Hardeeville Elementary is in crisis, ranking in the 1st percentile statewide (645th of 649 schools). District-wide, chronic absenteeism is a critical issue—ranging from 29.6% to 40.8% versus the 22.3% state average—and mathematics proficiency is alarmingly low, with 7th grade math at just 11.2% at Ridgeland Secondary Academy of Excellence. Both high schools show a puzzling pattern of much stronger English 2 than English 1 scores, and U.S. History proficiency lags significantly behind state averages. Parents should weigh Hardeeville Junior/Senior High's graduation success against Ridgeland Secondary Academy of Excellence's academic improvements, while recognizing that attendance and early math intervention are district-wide priorities.