Summary:
Clarendon 06 is a South Carolina school district serving approximately 4,216 students in Pre-K through 12th grade across 9 schools in the Manning, Turbeville, New Zion, and Summerton areas.
The clear standout in this district is East Clarendon Middle-High, which has climbed from the 45th to the 73rd percentile in just two years and now holds a 4-star rating. It outperforms the district and state on nearly every metric, including a 94.8% graduation rate, 92.78% English proficiency, and—critically—the only chronic absenteeism rate below the state average at 20.4%. By contrast, Scott's Branch High spends the most per student ($23,899) yet ranks in the 15th percentile, though it does boast the district's highest graduation rate at 98%. Walker-Gamble Elementary remains a consistent bright spot with a 3-star rating, outperforming Manning Elementary by 10-20 percentage points across subjects—for example, 60.7% versus 23.3% proficiency in 5th grade math.
Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide crisis, with 7 of 9 schools exceeding the state average of 22.3%. Manning Early Childhood Center is the most alarming at 45.2%, suggesting attendance problems begin very early. Mathematics is the weakest subject across all schools, with Manning Junior High showing just 15.2% proficiency in 7th grade math versus the 41.8% state average. There is also notable year-to-year volatility in test scores at several schools, making single-year assessments unreliable. Despite low test scores, all three high schools exceed the state graduation rate, and the two smallest schools—Dr. Rose H. Wilder Elementary and Scott's Branch High—have the highest per-student spending and most favorable student-teacher ratios, though this does not translate into top academic results.
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