York 01

York 01 is a South Carolina school district serving approximately 4,946 students across 8 schools—5 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 high school—in the rural/suburban York, SC area, with a current 3-star rating and a 53rd percentile statewide rank.

For parents, the standout school is Hunter Street Elementary, which leads the district academically with a 69th percentile rank, 73% 4th grade ELA proficiency, and a 61.5% science rate that beats the state by over 10 points—all while posting the district's lowest chronic absenteeism at 19.9%. Harold C. Johnson Elementary is the most improved, climbing 179 ranking spots in two years to reach a 3-star rating, with 3rd grade math jumping from 50.8% to 63.1%. At the middle school level, York Middle shows a remarkable 94% proficiency in Algebra 1 on the EOCEP exam—far above the state's 73.95%—though its overall math scores remain low, suggesting advanced students are tracked separately. On the other end, Cotton Belt Elementary is the district's weakest school, with a 1-star rating and proficiency rates 10-20 points below state averages, including just 34.1% in 4th grade science.

District-wide, math consistently lags behind ELA in nearly every grade, and chronic absenteeism is a serious issue—averaging 27.6% versus the state's 22.3%, with York Middle particularly high at 35.2%. York Comprehensive High shows a declining trajectory, with Algebra 1 proficiency dropping from 46.89% to 29.82% year-over-year, though its English 2 proficiency is a strong 77.39%. Notably, per-student spending (ranging from $13,375 at York Intermediate to $16,699 at Harold C. Johnson) shows no clear link to outcomes—Cotton Belt spends more than several better-performing schools. Hickory Grove-Sharon Elementary also shows inconsistent grade-level performance, with 3rd grade ELA at 64.2% but 5th grade dropping to 46.3%. Overall, the district's elementary schools are its strength, while middle and high school performance, combined with absenteeism, remain the key challenges.