Summary:
The Hampton school district in South Carolina serves roughly 2,272 students across nine public schools—five elementary/primary schools, three middle schools, and one high school—and currently holds a 2-star rating, ranking 52nd out of 75 districts statewide.
If you’re looking for the district’s standout school, Brunson Elementary is the clear winner. It’s the only school in the district with a 3-star rating, ranking in the 63rd percentile statewide, and it does so despite having the highest student-teacher ratio (18.5:1) and below-average spending per student. Its 4th grade math proficiency (68.2%) is more than double the district average (31.2%), and its chronic absenteeism rate (10.1%) is the lowest in the district. On the other end, Estill Middle has struggled for three straight years with 1-star ratings, sitting in the 15th percentile. Ben Hazel Primary shows promise, with 4th grade ELA scores (77.2%) well above both district and state averages.
Across the district, math proficiency lags significantly behind English Language Arts at every grade level—a gap that’s especially stark at Varnville Elementary (53.2% ELA vs. 23.5% math in 4th grade). There’s also a troubling achievement cliff between elementary and middle school, with Estill Elementary and Estill Middle both declining despite sharing a campus. Hampton County High School faces the biggest crisis: a 32% chronic absenteeism rate, a graduation rate (83.6%) below the state average, and EOCEP scores in English 1 (35.4%) and U.S. History (29.7%) that are roughly half the state averages. Meanwhile, Fennell Elementary spends the most per student ($20,064) but has no test data available, leaving its effectiveness unknown. The district’s success at Brunson proves improvement is possible, but targeted work is needed in math, middle school transitions, and high school attendance.
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