Elementary Schools in Pickens 01

The Pickens 01 school district in South Carolina is home to 14 elementary schools serving approximately 7,700 students across grades PK-5, with the notable exception of Liberty Primary (PK-2) and Liberty Elementary (3-5), which operate as a split-campus model.

For parents, the standout school is Clemson Elementary, which ranks in the 94th percentile statewide and leads the district in every subject, with ELA proficiency around 80%, math between 72-85%, and science at 72.5%. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the district at just 8.9%. Ambler Elementary, the smallest school with 316 students, is a close second, ranking in the 89th percentile with the highest science proficiency in the district (77.2%) and the second-lowest absenteeism (13.6%). Six Mile Elementary also performs well, ranking 158th statewide despite spending the least per student ($11,326). On the other end, Liberty Elementary ranks in the bottom half of the district (43rd percentile), and several schools like Hagood Elementary, Crosswell Elementary, and Central Academy of the Arts have seen ranking drops of over 100 spots in the past year.

District-wide, Pickens 01 performs above state averages in all subjects and grades, with the biggest advantage in 5th-grade math (+7.7 points). However, chronic absenteeism is a concern at 24.3%, above the state average of 22.3%. A notable pattern is the sharp decline in math proficiency from 3rd to 5th grade—for example, West End Elementary drops from 71.1% to 31.3% proficiency. Spending does not correlate with success: Liberty Elementary spends the most ($13,738 per student) but ranks low, while Six Mile Elementary spends the least and ranks much higher. The specialized "academy" schools, McKissick Academy of Science & Technology and Central Academy of the Arts, are not outperforming traditional schools, raising questions about their programs.