Summary:
Newberry 01 is a mid-sized South Carolina school district serving approximately 5,714 students across 13 schools—8 elementary, 2 middle, and 3 high schools—and currently holds a 3-star rating, ranking 38th out of 75 districts statewide.
Families will find a district of stark contrasts. Pomaria-Garmany Elementary is the clear academic star, earning a 4-star rating with 73.4% of 3rd graders proficient in ELA and an impressive 78.6% proficiency in 4th-grade science—27 points above the state average. At the secondary level, Mid-Carolina High leads with a 4-star rating, an 89.9% graduation rate, and exceptional Algebra 1 proficiency (91.73%). Whitmire Community School (High) also shines with a district-best 97% graduation rate and a 0% dropout rate, despite having the highest chronic absenteeism (30.7%). On the other hand, Newberry Middle is the district's biggest concern—a 1-star school where only 19.8% of 6th graders are proficient in math, roughly half the state average. Newberry High also struggles, particularly with English 1 proficiency at just 36.17%, though its English 2 scores jump to 70.22%.
The middle school gap is especially telling: Mid-Carolina Middle outperforms Newberry Middle by 20-30 percentage points in nearly every subject, despite nearly identical per-student spending. Chronic absenteeism tracks closely with performance—top schools like Little Mountain Elementary (10.5%) and Pomaria-Garmany (12.8%) have low rates, while struggling schools exceed 23%. Notably, spending doesn't predict success: Little Mountain Elementary spends the least ($13,595) yet performs well, while Whitmire spends the most ($19,989). For parents, this district offers excellent options at Pomaria-Garmany and Mid-Carolina schools, but the wide disparities mean school choice within the district matters significantly.
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