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McLees Elementary

Q: Is McLees Elementary a good school?

McLees Elementary ranks 222 nd of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

222^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 66% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

McLees Elementary is a PK-5 school in Anderson, SC, serving 543 students within the highly-rated Anderson 05 school district.

McLees is a solid mid-performing school with a 3-star rating, ranking in the top third of elementary schools statewide. Its biggest academic strength is English Language Arts, particularly in the upper grades—75.4% of 4th graders and 75.3% of 5th graders are proficient in ELA, well above both district and state averages. The school is especially effective with its low-income students, earning a 4-star rating for this subgroup despite 100% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. This makes McLees a standout option for families in its immediate area, especially when compared to nearby Varennes Elementary and New Prospect Elementary, both of which rank in the bottom quarter of the state.

However, there are areas of concern. While ELA is strong, math performance is moderate and science is a clear weakness—only 43.1% of 4th graders are proficient in science, below both district and state averages. The school also struggles with chronic absenteeism at 24.6%, higher than the state average of 22.3%. This is particularly notable when compared to Concord Elementary, a top-performing school in the same district with a much lower absenteeism rate of 14.1%. McLees actually spends more per student ($14,755) than Concord ($12,971) and has a lower student-teacher ratio, yet doesn't achieve the same overall results. This suggests the school is investing heavily to support its high-poverty population, but there may be opportunities to improve efficiency and outcomes, particularly in STEM subjects and attendance.

543

Students ?

14.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,755

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4900 Dobbins Bridge Road
Anderson, SC 29626

(864) 716-3600

District: Anderson 05

Students who attend McLees Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Robert Anderson Middle
High:	Westside High

Racial breakdown:

White:

54.9%

African American:

23.4%

Two or more races:

12.2%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare McLees Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 49th percentile in 2016 → 66th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 17 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the South Carolina median (66th percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school62%

District avg58%

South Carolina avg58%

222^nd of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 34%▲ up 17 pts since 2016

From bottom 49% (2016) to top 34% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 10Elementary Schools in the Anderson 05

21^st of 75Anderson 05 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	65.2	222 of 661	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.0	281 of 639	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.7	262 of 643	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.3	243 of 644	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.5	194 of 625	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.7	179 of 622	71.2%	★★★★☆
2019	67.1	200 of 643	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.4	316 of 624	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	43.3	365 of 639	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	49.7	314 of 619	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	54.4	268 of 638	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	69.9	173 of 630	72.5%	★★★★☆
2013	64.9	207 of 599	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	63.0	229 of 594	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	60.4	244 of 597	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	60.8	232 of 589	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	51.5	303 of 580	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	64.6	204 of 577	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	65.7	184 of 566	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2006	77.3	98 of 559	82.5%	★★★★☆
2005	80.1	83 of 557	85.1%	★★★★☆
2004	76.0	121 of 550	78.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	82.1	41 of 393	89.6%	★★★★☆
2021	89.6	17 of 350	95.1%	★★★★★
2019	79.3	53 of 421	87.4%	★★★★☆
2018	45.6	227 of 412	44.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.6	249 of 599	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	37.9	357 of 580	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.5	292 of 568	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.7	259 of 580	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.9	205 of 573	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.2	187 of 554	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.5	251 of 588	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.1	302 of 570	47.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	73.2	145 of 634	77.1%	★★★★☆
2025	60.4	226 of 612	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.0	247 of 602	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.9	226 of 608	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.2	147 of 600	75.5%	★★★★☆
2021	70.2	152 of 580	73.8%	★★★★☆
2019	72.8	140 of 600	76.7%	★★★★☆
2018	48.9	294 of 588	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.1	209 of 591	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.0	207 of 585	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.3	196 of 571	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.6	225 of 582	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.9	181 of 579	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.0	150 of 561	73.3%	★★★★☆
2019	72.9	146 of 590	75.3%	★★★★☆
2018	46.8	308 of 571	46.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.5	202 of 463	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.3	296 of 459	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.8	273 of 446	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.4	267 of 463	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.8	214 of 455	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.5	184 of 439	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.9	270 of 472	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.7	341 of 457	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2022)90th percentile+21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)77th percentile+11 vs school

Male (2026)65th percentile~ school

Female (2026)58th percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)56th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts73%+8 vs state

Mathematics58%+4 vs state

Science43%-8 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★2

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Saturday, October 13, 2012

McLees Academy of Leadership is a wonderful school. It has caring adults and responsible respectful children. Close Quote

Schools Near McLees 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
McLees Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	4900 Dobbins Bridge Road	Anderson	29626	Anderson County	Anderson 05	No	Yes	No	No	(864) 716-3600	543	39	14.0	100.0%	298 (54.9%)	127 (23.4%)	47 (8.7%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (12.2%)	65.2	222^nd of 661 public elementary schools	66.4%		54	281^st of 639 public elementary schools	56.0%	59	68.2	75.4	75.3	67.0	52.3	51.8	43.1	$14,755	$1,259	$759	$2,018	$11,190	$1,548	$12,737
New Prospect Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	126 New Prospect Church Road	Anderson	29625	Anderson County	Anderson 05	No	Yes	No	Yes	(864) 260-5195	419	33	12.8	100.0%	125 (29.8%)	166 (39.6%)	71 (16.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (13.1%)	17.7	560^th of 661 public elementary schools	15.3%		13.2	577^th of 639 public elementary schools	9.7%	17	46.8	50.9	47.1	34.4	40.4	28.3	24.5	$15,768	$1,874	$1,275	$3,150	$11,100	$1,518	$12,619
Varennes Elementary	Public, Magnet	3-5	1820 Highway 29 South	Anderson	29626	Anderson County	Anderson 05	No	Yes	No	Yes	(864) 260-5215	389	30	13.0	100.0%	83 (21.3%)	141 (36.2%)	130 (33.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (8.7%)	22.9	517^th of 661 public elementary schools	21.8%		24.9	492^nd of 639 public elementary schools	23.0%	25	56.9	48.0	48.5	52.2	33.3	31.3	26.7	$14,075	$2,094	$1,021	$3,115	$9,469	$1,491	$10,960
Centerville Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1529 Whitehall Road	Anderson	29625	Anderson County	Anderson 05	No	Yes	No	Yes	(864) 260-5100	536	42	12.7	100.0%	235 (43.8%)	165 (30.8%)	86 (16.0%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (8.4%)	46.7	338^th of 661 public elementary schools	48.9%		25.9	480^th of 639 public elementary schools	24.9%	142	56.1	63.0	66.7	42.9	48.0	55.2	43.9	$13,232	$1,398	$1,075	$2,473	$9,493	$1,266	$10,759
Whitehall Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	702 Whitehall Road	Anderson	29625	Anderson County	Anderson 05	No	Yes	No	Yes	(864) 260-5255	504	34	14.8	100.0%	181 (35.9%)	179 (35.5%)	71 (14.1%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	67 (13.3%)	54.8	278^th of 661 public elementary schools	57.9%		52.8	291^st of 639 public elementary schools	54.5%	13	67.9	62.7	63.3	65.5	48.0	54.5	38.6	$13,669	$1,396	$1,113	$2,509	$9,754	$1,406	$11,160
Homeland Park Primary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-2	3519 Wilmont Street	Anderson	29624	Anderson County	Anderson 05	No	Yes	No	Yes	(864) 260-5125	397	29	13.9	100.0%	96 (24.2%)	141 (35.5%)	132 (33.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.5%)								(n/a)								$14,526	$1,578	$1,270	$2,849	$10,140	$1,538	$11,677
Concord Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	2701 Calrossie Road	Anderson	29621	Anderson County	Anderson 05	No	Yes	No	No	(864) 260-5105	615	40	15.4	55.8%	349 (56.7%)	155 (25.2%)	49 (8.0%)	10 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (8.5%)	74.1	167^th of 661 public elementary schools	74.7%		79.9	117^th of 639 public elementary schools	81.7%	50	71.5	71.7	79.8	66.0	65.1	52.1	62.3	$12,971	$859	$824	$1,683	$9,997	$1,291	$11,289
Starr Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Professor Brown Lane	Starr	29684	Anderson County	Anderson 03	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 352-6154	525	36	14.5	100.0%	405 (77.1%)	33 (6.3%)	48 (9.1%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.7%)	84.3	90^th of 661 public elementary schools	86.4%		89.8	50^th of 639 public elementary schools	92.2%	40	69.3	83.0	74.6	70.4	82.9	67.1	79.2	$13,001	$1,569	$775	$2,345	$9,518	$1,139	$10,657
Calhoun Academy of the Arts	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1520 East Calhoun Street	Anderson	29621	Anderson County	Anderson 05	No	Yes	No	Yes	(864) 260-5090	424	33	12.8	100.0%	150 (35.4%)	171 (40.3%)	57 (13.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (10.6%)	43.1	375^th of 661 public elementary schools	43.3%		36.2	405^th of 639 public elementary schools	36.6%	30	70.0	64.8	59.0	58.3	33.3	34.4	40.7	$15,568	$1,480	$1,162	$2,642	$11,124	$1,803	$12,927
Flat Rock Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	115 Thompson Road	Anderson	29624	Anderson County	Anderson 03	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 296-9191	429	30	14.3	100.0%	315 (73.4%)	40 (9.3%)	39 (9.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.9%)	60.4	250^th of 661 public elementary schools	62.2%		71.4	191^st of 639 public elementary schools	70.1%	59	56.3	73.0	56.9	56.2	60.3	55.4	69.8	$13,519	$1,741	$1,063	$2,804	$9,454	$1,261	$10,715

Frequently Asked Questions about McLees Elementary

Is McLees Elementary a good school?

McLees Elementary ranks 222^nd of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of McLees Elementary?

Students at McLees Elementary are 55% White, 23% African American, 12% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic.

How many students attend McLees Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 543 students attended McLees Elementary.

What schools do graduates of McLees Elementary attend?

Students who attend McLees Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Robert Anderson Middle
High : Westside High

What district is McLees Elementary in?

Anderson 05

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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.