Elementary Schools in Sumter 01

The Sumter 01 school district in South Carolina is home to 15 elementary schools serving grades PK-5 (with some variations like PK-1, 2-3, and 4-5), and the district as a whole ranks in the 11th percentile statewide, indicating significant challenges but also notable bright spots.

For parents, the standout school here is Alice Drive Elementary, which earns a 4-star rating and ranks in the 81st percentile statewide—a remarkable achievement given the district's overall low ranking. Alice Drive posts proficiency rates of 74% in 5th grade ELA and 65% in 5th grade math, far outpacing district averages of 49% and 29% respectively. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the district at 26.1%, though that's still above the state average. On the other end, Rafting Creek Elementary (125 students) and R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy rank near the bottom statewide (1st and 2nd percentile respectively), despite R. E. Davis spending $18,431 per student. Millwood Elementary is the most improved school, climbing from the 50th to 39th percentile over the past year, while Wilder Elementary punches above its weight with a 33rd percentile ranking despite being one of the smaller schools.

The most pressing issue across the district is chronic absenteeism, which averages 35.9%—61% higher than the state average. Willow Drive Elementary has the highest rate at 52.8%, followed by Manchester Elementary at 49.4%. There's a clear pattern: schools with absenteeism above 40% generally rank in the bottom 10% statewide, while Alice Drive's lower absenteeism correlates with its top performance. Math proficiency also declines sharply as students advance—from 49.2% in 3rd grade to just 28.9% in 5th grade district-wide—suggesting cumulative learning gaps. Notably, per-student spending shows no correlation with outcomes: Rafting Creek spends the most ($20,108) yet ranks 641st, while High Hills Elementary spends the least ($11,449) but outperforms several higher-spending schools. For parents, this means school choice within the district matters greatly, and addressing absenteeism and math intervention in grades 3-5 are likely the district's best levers for improvement.