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Michael C. Riley Elementary

Q: Is Michael C. Riley Elementary a good school?

Michael C. Riley Elementary ranks 474 th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

474^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 28% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Michael C. Riley Elementary is a public school in Bluffton, SC, serving 704 students in grades PK-5 within the Beaufort 01 school district. The school currently holds a 1-star rating and ranks in the 28th percentile statewide, a notable decline from its 3-star rating just a few years ago.

For parents comparing schools, the most striking finding is the significant academic gap between Riley and its nearby neighbors. In 3rd-grade ELA, for example, only 43.3% of Riley students are proficient, compared to 66.7% at Red Cedar Elementary, 83.8% at Okatie Elementary, and 85.4% at River Ridge Academy. This gap of 15-30 percentage points persists across all grade levels and subjects. Interestingly, Riley spends more per student ($21,179) than several higher-performing neighbors—Okatie spends $17,061 and River Ridge spends $14,899—suggesting that funding alone isn't the issue. The school also struggles with chronic absenteeism at 20.2%, which is much higher than Red Cedar's 6.3% and River Ridge's 8.1%, though it's slightly better than the district average of 21.3%.

There are a few bright spots worth noting. Math scores showed improvement in the most recent year, with 4th-grade math jumping from 33.3% to 48.4% proficiency and 5th-grade math rising from 31.5% to 40.6%. This could signal that recent interventions are starting to take effect. However, the school's overall trajectory remains concerning, especially when compared to Red Cedar Elementary, located just 1.5 miles away, which consistently ranks in the 79th percentile. While Riley's performance with its overall student body is low, its White student subgroup performs at a middling level (52nd percentile), while other subgroups rank in the bottom 20th percentile statewide. For parents considering this school, it's important to understand both the current challenges and the small signs of improvement in math.

704

Students ?

9.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,874

Per pupil spending ?

73.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2023-24) ?

96%

Students (all grades) with required immunizations (2025-26)

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 — 73rd percentile in 2016 → 28th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (45% vs 58% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 45 percentile points since 2016

!English Language Arts scores 19 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg58%

South Carolina avg58%

474^th of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 44 pts since 2016

From top 27% (2016) to bottom 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

13^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
2026	27.9	474 of 661	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.7	514 of 639	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.8	503 of 643	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	25.2	126 of 156	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.4	125 of 147	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.6	130 of 143	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	27.5	125 of 174	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.2	70 of 106	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	28.5	448 of 599	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.6	433 of 580	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.1	446 of 568	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	23.9	129 of 159	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.5	147 of 156	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.6	92 of 114	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	31.5	450 of 634	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.5	498 of 612	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.1	441 of 602	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	25.8	437 of 591	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.1	487 of 585	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.4	464 of 571	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
2026	54.3	222 of 463	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.2	237 of 459	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.0	272 of 446	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
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 (2026)52nd percentile+24 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)34th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)29th percentile~ school

Male (2026)26th percentile~ school

Female (2026)25th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2026)19th percentile-9 vs school

Hispanic (2026)19th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts46%-19 vs state

Science45%-6 vs state

Mathematics44%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Michael C. Riley 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SC READY English Language Arts (2026)						SC READY Mathematics (2026)						SC READY Science (2026)		Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
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/reduced lunch (2023-24)	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 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	Vaccination: Students (all grades) with required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	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	73.1%	168 (23.9%)	54 (7.7%)	461 (65.5%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.4%)	27.9	474^th of 661 public elementary schools	28.3%		21.7	514^th of 639 public elementary schools	19.6%	40	43.3	48.4	45.7				45.2	48.4	40.6				45.1		96%		$19,874	$781	$726	$1,507	$14,401	$3,965	$18,366
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	60.7%	270 (42.5%)	57 (9.0%)	275 (43.2%)	7 (1.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.9%)	77.1	140^th of 661 public elementary schools	78.8%		79.5	119^th of 639 public elementary schools	81.4%	21	66.7	80.0	74.4				68.6	64.9	61.0				66.0		95%		$19,837	$831	$922	$1,752	$14,584	$3,500	$18,085
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	57.7%	270 (38.1%)	69 (9.7%)	310 (43.7%)	19 (2.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (5.5%)	65.4	218^th of 661 public elementary schools	67.0%		65.8	220^th of 639 public elementary schools	65.6%	2	62.6	69.4	64.9				65.8	61.1	55.3				60.2		96%		$21,345	$1,027	$839	$1,867	$15,251	$4,228	$19,479
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	42.1%	655 (57.8%)	74 (6.5%)	303 (26.7%)	38 (3.4%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	61 (5.4%)	89.6	53^rd of 661 public elementary schools	92.0%		80	114^th of 639 public elementary schools	82.2%	61	85.4	81.8	82.2	68.1	69.6	71.3	87.6	70.7	71.4	61.4	50.4	67.2	74.6	74.8	91%		$17,502	$496	$490	$986	$13,210	$3,306	$16,516
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	49.0%	455 (51.3%)	66 (7.4%)	300 (33.8%)	8 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	56 (6.3%)	75.6	151^st of 661 public elementary schools	77.2%		78.9	128^th of 639 public elementary schools	80.0%	23	74.6	69.7	75.6				77.4	58.0	61.1				58.7		96%		$13,697	$388	$581	$968	$9,368	$3,361	$12,729
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	64.2%	147 (29.6%)	81 (16.3%)	243 (49.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.8%)	25.1	498^th of 661 public elementary schools	24.7%		37	399^th of 639 public elementary schools	37.6%	99	42.9	52.2	54.2				46.2	34.1	38.6				37.2		≥ 96%		$25,349	$548	$873	$1,422	$19,865	$4,062	$23,928
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	57.7%	232 (33.0%)	63 (9.0%)	372 (53.0%)	6 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.1%)	56.1	272^nd of 661 public elementary schools	58.9%		54.7	276^th of 639 public elementary schools	56.8%	4	63.9	63.7	61.5				56.4	50.0	54.0				57.8		96%		$19,581	$436	$806	$1,242	$14,756	$3,583	$18,339
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	50.1%	360 (55.6%)	52 (8.0%)	192 (29.6%)	7 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (5.7%)	72.9	170^th of 661 public elementary schools	74.3%		79.1	125^th of 639 public elementary schools	80.4%	45	83.8	73.5	55.6				78.8	68.4	51.3				66.4		93%		$15,587	$401	$674	$1,075	$10,824	$3,689	$14,512
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	56.6%	68 (22.6%)	42 (14.0%)	178 (59.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.3%)								(n/a)															88%		$25,167	$990	$970	$1,960	$16,248	$6,959	$23,207
Heartwood Community School	Public, Charter	K-3	100 Discovery Lane	Ridgeland	29936	Jasper County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(843) 547-8124	87	15	5.8	53.2%	20 (23.0%)	41 (47.1%)	17 (19.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (10.3%)								(n/a)	60.0						52.0								93%		$54,174	$393	$91	$484	$37,937	$15,753	$53,690

Frequently Asked Questions about Michael C. Riley Elementary

Is Michael C. Riley Elementary a good school?

Michael C. Riley Elementary ranks 474^th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is Michael C. Riley Elementary in?

Beaufort 01

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

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 graduation rates (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2024–25 through 2025–26 immunization ratesOct 20, 2026

2025–26 school spending dataOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data & dropout ratesOct 12, 2026

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.