Summary:
McCormick Elementary is the only elementary school in the McCormick 01 district, a small rural South Carolina district serving grades PK through 5 with just 225 students.
This school stands out for its very high per-student spending of $27,076 and a favorable 10.2:1 student-teacher ratio, yet academic results remain a serious concern. In 2025–2026, the school earned a 1-star rating and ranked 530th out of 649 schools statewide, placing it in the bottom quintile. The most striking issue is mathematics: proficiency rates range from just 24.3% in 5th grade to 33.4% in 3rd grade, compared to state averages between 49.1% and 59.2%—a gap of roughly 25 to 30 percentage points. English Language Arts scores are also below state averages by 10 to 18 points, though they show a positive pattern: proficiency improves as students advance, rising from 46.7% in 3rd grade to 54.0% in 5th grade. Math, however, shows the opposite trend, with proficiency declining as students get older, suggesting gaps compound over time.
Performance declined across nearly every subject and grade between 2024–2025 and 2025–2026, with 4th grade math dropping sharply from 41.3% to 30.4%. The only improvement was 4th grade science, which rose from 31.0% to 36.3%. Chronic absenteeism sits at 22.4%, essentially matching the state average of 22.3%, meaning nearly one in four students misses significant school time. The disconnect between high spending and low outcomes is notable, and because this is the district's only elementary school, its performance directly defines the district's reputation. For parents, the school offers small class sizes and strong per-student investment, but the declining test scores and persistent math struggles suggest targeted interventions are urgently needed.
Thank you for your feedback!