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Michael C. Riley Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

515^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 640 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 20% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Michael C. Riley Elementary is a public elementary school located in Bluffton, South Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 718 students. The school is part of the Beaufort 01 school district, which is ranked 28 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite the district's relatively strong performance, Michael C. Riley Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of South Carolina elementary schools, with a ranking of 515 out of 640 schools in the 2024-2025 school year and a 1 out of 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's academic performance, as measured by the percentage of students proficient or better in SC READY assessments, is generally lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the percentage of 3rd-grade students proficient or better in ELA was 43.9% at Michael C. Riley, compared to 59.7% in the Beaufort 01 district and 61.8% statewide. The school's performance is particularly low for Hispanic students and students with disabilities, who rank in the bottom 20% and bottom 25% of South Carolina elementary schools, respectively, in recent years.

Additionally, Michael C. Riley Elementary has had high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 18.7% to 29.7% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school also has a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 73.12% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2023-2024 school year. Interestingly, nearby schools such as Riverview Charter School and Okatie Elementary have consistently outperformed Michael C. Riley Elementary in academic assessments, suggesting that the challenges faced by the school may be unique to its own circumstances.

704

Students ?

9.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,179

Per pupil spending ?

73.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

200 Burnt Church Road
Bluffton, SC 29910

(843) 706-8300

District: Beaufort 01

Students who attend Michael C. Riley Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Bluffton Middle
High:	Bluffton High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

65.5%

White:

23.9%

African American:

7.7%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Michael C. Riley Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 47th percentile in 2015 → 20th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (40% vs 56% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 27 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg57%

South Carolina avg56%

515^th of 640

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 28 pts since 2015

From bottom 47% (2015) to bottom 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^th of 19Elementary Schools in the Beaufort 01

28^th of 75Beaufort 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
2025	21.7	515 of 640	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.8	498 of 638	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.1	420 of 644	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.7	284 of 625	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.8	268 of 622	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.9	289 of 643	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.9	252 of 624	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	62.9	219 of 639	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	68.9	169 of 619	72.7%	★★★★☆
2015	47.5	336 of 638	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	58.7	274 of 630	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	51.5	323 of 599	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	61.9	240 of 594	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	73.3	138 of 597	76.9%	★★★★☆
2010	67.7	178 of 589	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	57.9	256 of 580	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	57.8	259 of 577	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	47.0	341 of 566	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	50.9	312 of 559	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	53.3	290 of 557	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2004	57.3	249 of 550	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2003	58.1	241 of 542	55.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	21.4	125 of 147	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.6	129 of 143	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.5	125 of 174	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	26.5	80 of 104	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.0	62 of 79	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.1	44 of 72	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.3	33 of 84	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.9	36 of 84	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.9	42 of 104	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.3	28 of 82	65.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	27.6	434 of 581	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.1	444 of 565	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.4	373 of 580	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.7	272 of 573	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	37.4	348 of 554	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.2	310 of 588	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.6	235 of 570	58.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	14.5	147 of 156	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.6	92 of 115	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.6	77 of 115	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	65.9	37 of 115	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.7	22 of 86	74.4%	★★★★☆
2019	62.2	44 of 116	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.7	42 of 104	59.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	24.5	499 of 613	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.1	438 of 599	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	52.5	271 of 608	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	75.2	119 of 600	80.2%	★★★★☆
2021	71.4	148 of 580	74.5%	★★★★☆
2019	65.1	202 of 600	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.2	135 of 588	77.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	19.1	488 of 586	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.4	462 of 568	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.1	404 of 582	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.5	276 of 579	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.5	173 of 561	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.2	248 of 590	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.3	254 of 571	55.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	52.2	237 of 460	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.0	272 of 441	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.8	223 of 463	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.3	165 of 455	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.5	183 of 439	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.8	264 of 472	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	63.6	174 of 457	61.9%	★★★☆☆

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)

White (2025)48th percentile+29 vs school

Female (2025)25th percentile+6 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)23rd percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)19th percentile~ school

Male (2025)17th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2025)15th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)6th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts45%-18 vs state

Mathematics37%-16 vs state

Science35%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Michael C. Riley Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SC READY English Language Arts (2025)						SC READY Mathematics (2025)						SC READY Science (2025)		EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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 English Language Arts 6th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 8th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 7th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 8th Grade	SC READY Science 4th Grade	SC READY Science 6th Grade	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	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
Michael C. Riley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Burnt Church Road	Bluffton	29910	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 706-8300	704	74	9.5		168 (23.9%)	54 (7.7%)	461 (65.5%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.4%)	21.7	515^th of 640 public elementary schools	19.5%		22.8	498^th of 638 public elementary schools	21.9%	17	43.9	43.9	46.8				47.0	33.3	31.5				35.0			$21,179	$953	$585	$1,538	$16,383	$3,258	$19,641
Red Cedar Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10 Box Elder Street	Bluffton	29910	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 707-0600	636	59	10.7		270 (42.5%)	57 (9.0%)	275 (43.2%)	7 (1.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.9%)	79.5	119^th of 640 public elementary schools	81.4%		73.9	160^th of 638 public elementary schools	74.9%	41	72.6	71.4	70.4				72.7	72.3	57.1				64.3			$19,657	$1,505	$567	$2,072	$15,273	$2,312	$17,585
Bluffton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	160 H.E. McCracken Circle	Bluffton	29910	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 706-8500	709	68	10.4		270 (38.1%)	69 (9.7%)	310 (43.7%)	19 (2.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (5.5%)	65.8	220^th of 640 public elementary schools	65.6%		67.1	205^th of 638 public elementary schools	67.9%	15	56.2	70.4	68.4				54.3	63.8	63.1				54.3			$19,492	$938	$521	$1,460	$15,033	$2,999	$18,032
River Ridge Academy	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	3050 River Ridge Drive	Bluffton	29910	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	Yes	No	No	(843) 836-4600	1,134	85	13.3		655 (57.8%)	74 (6.5%)	303 (26.7%)	38 (3.4%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	61 (5.4%)	80	114^th of 640 public elementary schools	82.2%		80.3	119^th of 638 public elementary schools	81.3%	5	73.5	79.8	71.8	66.7	68.4	61.7	76.8	66.0	60.5	44.0	40.0	46.1	60.4	66.0	100.0	$14,899	$353	$378	$731	$11,884	$2,284	$14,168
Pritchardville Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	9447 Evan Way	Bluffton	29910	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	Yes	No	No	(843) 707-0500	887	79	11.2		455 (51.3%)	66 (7.4%)	300 (33.8%)	8 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	56 (6.3%)	78.9	128^th of 640 public elementary schools	80.0%		85.1	84^th of 638 public elementary schools	86.8%	44	72.2	70.8	74.8				69.9	58.4	75.5				61.1			$14,671	$537	$450	$987	$11,630	$2,053	$13,683
Hilton Head Island School for the Creative Arts	Public	PK, KG-5	10 Bus Drive	Hilton Head Island	29926	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 342-4380	496	50	9.9		147 (29.6%)	81 (16.3%)	243 (49.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.8%)	37	400^th of 640 public elementary schools	37.5%		42.7	366^th of 638 public elementary schools	42.6%	34	49.5	55.8	59.3				39.4	43.2	49.6				35.7			$19,945	$2,514	$496	$3,009	$14,591	$2,344	$16,935
Hilton Head Island Elementary	Public, Magnet	1-5	30 School Road	Hilton Head Island	29926	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 342-4100	702	77	9.1		232 (33.0%)	63 (9.0%)	372 (53.0%)	6 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.1%)	54.7	276^th of 640 public elementary schools	56.9%		51.6	299^th of 638 public elementary schools	53.1%	23	57.0	66.4	52.5				50.4	63.7	50.4				54.8			$18,426	$797	$447	$1,244	$14,413	$2,769	$17,182
Okatie Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	53 Cherry Point Road	Bluffton	29909	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 322-7700	648	49	13.3		360 (55.6%)	52 (8.0%)	192 (29.6%)	7 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (5.7%)	79.1	125^th of 640 public elementary schools	80.5%		79.7	124^th of 638 public elementary schools	80.6%	1	76.1	70.0	74.4				78.1	59.2	70.0				59.1			$17,061	$546	$376	$921	$13,779	$2,360	$16,140
Hilton Head Island Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	165 Pembroke Drive	Hilton Head Island	29926	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 689-0400	301	31	9.8		68 (22.6%)	42 (14.0%)	178 (59.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.3%)								(n/a)																$36,942	$1,605	$794	$2,398	$29,465	$5,079	$34,544
Heartwood Community School	Public, Charter	K-2	8575 East Argent Parkway	Ridgeland	29936	Jasper County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(843) 547-8124	87	15	5.8		20 (23.0%)	41 (47.1%)	17 (19.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (10.3%)								(n/a)																$27,993	$60	$63	$122	$179	$27,692	$27,870

Frequently Asked Questions about Michael C. Riley Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Michael C. Riley Elementary?

Students at Michael C. Riley Elementary are 65% Hispanic, 24% White, 8% African American, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Michael C. Riley Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 704 students attended Michael C. Riley Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Michael C. Riley Elementary attend?

Students who attend Michael C. Riley Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bluffton Middle
High : Bluffton High

What district is Michael C. Riley Elementary in?

Beaufort 01

Is Michael C. Riley Elementary a good school?

Michael C. Riley Elementary ranks in the bottom 19.5% of South Carolina elementary schools.

Rate Michael C. Riley Elementary!

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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.