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Cyril B. Busbee Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

547^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 17% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Cyril B. Busbee Elementary is a rural PK-5 school in Wagener, SC, serving 467 students within the Aiken 01 school district, where every student qualifies for free or reduced lunch.

Busbee Elementary has faced significant academic challenges, ranking in the bottom 20% of South Carolina elementary schools for five consecutive years. The most pressing concern is mathematics, where only 10.7% of 5th graders scored proficient in 2025-2026—a staggering 38 percentage points below the state average and far behind nearby schools like Deerfield Elementary (49.7%) and Carolina Springs Elementary (58.4%). While 3rd grade performance is comparatively stronger (49.3% ELA proficiency), students fall further behind as they advance, with 5th grade math proficiency dropping dramatically from 28.5% to 10.7% in just one year. The school also struggles with chronic absenteeism at 28.6%, though this is actually lower than several nearby schools that outperform it academically, including Dover Elementary (39.7%) and Pelion Elementary (34.1%).

On a positive note, Busbee maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.7:1 and spends $13,254 per student—less than comparable schools like Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Elementary ($17,684) and Forts Pond Elementary ($17,826), suggesting efficient resource allocation. However, the school's trajectory is concerning, declining from a 2-star rating in 2018-2019 to its current 1-star status. Parents should know that while early elementary instruction shows promise, the school needs significant intervention to address the widening achievement gaps in upper grades, particularly in math, and to ensure all students receive the support they need to succeed.

467

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,254

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

20 A.L. Corbett Circle
Wagener, SC 29164

(803) 564-1000

District: Aiken 01

Racial breakdown:

White:

48.0%

African American:

33.0%

Two or more races:

10.5%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 37th percentile in 2019 → 17th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (38% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2019

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg54%

South Carolina avg58%

547^th of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 17%▼ down 19 pts since 2019

From bottom 37% (2019) to bottom 17% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

20^th of 21Elementary Schools in the Aiken 01

37^th of 75Aiken 01 among South Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.8	547 of 661	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.5	526 of 639	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.8	531 of 643	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.3	521 of 644	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.7	567 of 625	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.3	481 of 622	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.3	408 of 643	36.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	4.5	382 of 384	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.9	363 of 380	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.2	335 of 369	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.1	390 of 394	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.1	387 of 393	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	26.5	282 of 350	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.9	241 of 421	42.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.5	454 of 599	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.8	478 of 580	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.5	429 of 568	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.9	428 of 580	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.7	503 of 573	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.1	414 of 554	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.4	430 of 588	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	14.7	589 of 634	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	21.3	520 of 612	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.1	522 of 602	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.1	515 of 608	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.5	563 of 600	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	27.5	437 of 580	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.9	371 of 600	38.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.4	539 of 591	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.2	497 of 585	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.9	509 of 571	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.1	503 of 582	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.5	542 of 579	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.3	462 of 561	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.0	357 of 590	39.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.8	385 of 463	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.9	416 of 459	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.3	394 of 446	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.3	417 of 463	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	7.9	435 of 455	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.5	403 of 439	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	28.0	363 of 472	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Female (2026)24th percentile+7 vs school

White (2026)17th percentile~ school

Male (2026)9th percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)7th percentile-10 vs school

African American (2026)1st percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts48%-16 vs state

Science35%-17 vs state

Mathematics29%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cyril B. Busbee Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SC READY English Language Arts (2026)			SC READY Mathematics (2026)			SC READY Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2024)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SC READY English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 4th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Science 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Cyril B. Busbee Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20 A.L. Corbett Circle	Wagener	29164	Aiken County	Aiken 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 564-1000	467	34	13.7	100.0%	224 (48.0%)	154 (33.0%)	35 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (10.5%)	18.8	547^th of 661 public elementary schools	17.2%		20.5	526^th of 639 public elementary schools	17.7%	21	49.3	54.7	41.6	50.7	28.0	10.7	34.6	$13,254	$806	$1,233	$2,038	$10,345	$870	$11,216
Pelion Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1202 Pine Street	Pelion	29123	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 821-2000	642	50	12.8	100.0%	422 (65.7%)	43 (6.7%)	131 (20.4%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (6.2%)	35.7	424^th of 661 public elementary schools	35.9%		23.2	503^rd of 639 public elementary schools	21.3%	79	54.7	62.4	49.4	56.6	43.0	29.1	43.0	$17,679	$1,620	$688	$2,308	$13,696	$1,675	$15,371
Forts Pond Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7350 Fish Hatchery Road	Pelion	29123	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 821-2500	478	43	11.1	100.0%	287 (60.0%)	40 (8.4%)	114 (23.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.1%)	16.1	576^th of 661 public elementary schools	12.9%		21.9	512^th of 639 public elementary schools	19.9%	64	51.1	42.5	47.3	38.0	27.2	28.6	27.3	$17,826	$1,594	$774	$2,368	$13,970	$1,489	$15,459
Dover Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1411 Bedford Avenue	North	29112	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 247-2184	237	16	15.2	100.0%	86 (36.3%)	124 (52.3%)	12 (5.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.9%)	29.4	467^th of 661 public elementary schools	29.3%		31	442^nd of 639 public elementary schools	30.8%	25	55.6	42.9	48.8	57.8	28.6	39.0	35.7	$18,328	$1,639	$1,950	$3,589	$13,011	$1,728	$14,739
Oakwood-Windsor Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3773 Charleston Highway	Aiken	29801	Aiken County	Aiken 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 641-2560	427	33	12.9	100.0%	160 (37.5%)	76 (17.8%)	139 (32.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (12.2%)	54	285^th of 661 public elementary schools	56.9%		32	434^th of 639 public elementary schools	32.1%	149	64.7	67.6	54.2	66.1	63.5	45.9	40.6	$13,511	$1,237	$1,113	$2,350	$10,151	$1,009	$11,161
Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7066 Norway Road	Neeses	29107	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 263-4441	179	12	15.2	100.0%	38 (21.2%)	121 (67.6%)	7 (3.9%)	1 (0.6%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.6%)	14.4	595^th of 661 public elementary schools	10.0%		14.7	565^th of 639 public elementary schools	11.6%	30	53.8	32.3	34.8	46.2	19.4	26.0	32.3	$17,684	$1,022	$1,009	$2,032	$13,543	$2,110	$15,652
Carolina Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6340 Platt Springs Road	Lexington	29073	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 821-5100	438	39	11.3	60.1%	238 (54.3%)	119 (27.2%)	38 (8.7%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.1%)	79.5	128^th of 661 public elementary schools	80.6%		67.8	209^th of 639 public elementary schools	67.3%	81	80.3	71.6	69.4	83.4	75.7	58.4	59.5	$14,004	$1,001	$616	$1,617	$10,748	$1,640	$12,388
Sandhills Elementary	Public	3-4	130 Lewis Rast Road	Swansea	29160	Lexington County	Lexington 04	No	No	No	No	(803) 490-7003	491	38	13.0	100.0%	236 (48.1%)	92 (18.7%)	134 (27.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (5.3%)	15.8	578^th of 661 public elementary schools	12.6%		28	462^nd of 639 public elementary schools	27.7%	116	42.6	45.6		35.1	35.5		34.0	$13,560	$1,074	$1,219	$2,293	$9,637	$1,630	$11,267
Sandhills Primary	Public	1-2	140 Lewis Rast Road	Swansea	29160	Lexington County	Lexington 04	No	No	No	No	(803) 490-7002	509	36	14.1	100.0%	267 (52.5%)	107 (21.0%)	96 (18.9%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (2.9%)	5 (1.0%)	18 (3.5%)								(n/a)								$13,497	$1,229	$1,469	$2,698	$9,516	$1,283	$10,799
Lexington Four Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	135 Lewis Rast Road	Swansea	26160		Lexington 04	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 490-7001	495	38	13.0	100.0%	273 (55.2%)	128 (25.9%)	65 (13.1%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.0%)	5 (1.0%)	18 (3.6%)								(n/a)								$14,260	$3,084	$1,246	$4,330	$8,701	$1,229	$9,930

Frequently Asked Questions about Cyril B. Busbee Elementary

Is Cyril B. Busbee Elementary a good school?

Cyril B. Busbee Elementary ranks in the bottom 17.2% of South Carolina elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Cyril B. Busbee Elementary?

Students at Cyril B. Busbee Elementary are 48% White, 33% African American, 10% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic, 1% American Indian.

How many students attend Cyril B. Busbee Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 467 students attended Cyril B. Busbee Elementary.

What district is Cyril B. Busbee Elementary in?

Aiken 01

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresAug 10, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataNov 3, 2025

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 3, 2025

2024–25 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresSep 2, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Carolina Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.