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St. Helena Elementary

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

561^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 15% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

St. Helena Elementary is a PK-5 school on Saint Helena Island, SC, serving 325 students in the Beaufort 01 district, where every student qualifies for free or reduced lunch.

This school has a fascinating mix of strengths and challenges. The most encouraging news is in 3rd grade: in the most recent school year, 65.5% of 3rd graders were proficient in math—actually beating both the district (59.5%) and state (59.2%) averages. Reading scores in 3rd grade (55.2%) were also solid. However, this momentum fades quickly. By 4th grade, math proficiency drops to 32% and reading to 30%, and by 5th grade, math falls to just 24.5%. This steep decline suggests the school does an excellent job in early elementary but struggles to keep students on track as they move up. Science is the weakest subject, with only 24% of 4th graders proficient, compared to about 52% statewide. Chronic absenteeism is also a concern, hovering around 22% recently—about average for the state but a challenge for consistent learning.

What makes this school unique is its resources. It spends about $27,964 per student—far more than nearby Coosa Elementary ($18,666) or Riverview Charter School ($18,820)—and has a very low student-teacher ratio of 8:1. Yet those investments haven't translated into top rankings. While Coosa Elementary (5.9 miles away) ranks in the 82nd percentile and Riverview Charter School (10.5 miles away) in the 87th, St. Helena sits in the 15th percentile statewide. Compared to Whale Branch Elementary, a similar school 14 miles away, St. Helena actually outperforms in 3rd grade but falls behind in 4th and 5th grades. The big question for parents: can the school bottle that 3rd-grade magic and carry it through the upper grades?

325

Students ?

8.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,964

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1025 Sea Island Parkway
Saint Helena Island, SC 29920

(843) 838-0300

District: Beaufort 01

Students who attend St. Helena Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Lady's Island Middle
High:	Beaufort High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

74.2%

Hispanic:

12.3%

White:

7.1%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare St. Helena Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 11th percentile in 2016 → 15th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 8 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (36% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!Science scores 28 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school36%

District avg58%

South Carolina avg58%

561^st of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 15%▲ up 5 pts since 2016

From bottom 11% (2016) to bottom 15% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^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	17.7	561 of 661	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.8	569 of 639	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.0	566 of 643	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.9	554 of 644	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.7	565 of 625	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.2	518 of 622	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.4	561 of 643	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.6	514 of 624	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	13.4	586 of 639	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	16.6	554 of 619	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	11.8	608 of 638	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	15.9	584 of 630	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	15.2	549 of 599	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	8.2	568 of 594	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	10.4	567 of 597	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	3.2	581 of 589	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	14.9	534 of 580	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	6.7	563 of 577	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	9.6	540 of 566	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	11.9	522 of 559	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	9.1	536 of 557	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	43.5	355 of 550	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2003	30.0	420 of 542	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.5	287 of 384	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.5	321 of 380	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.4	297 of 369	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.0	266 of 394	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.6	306 of 393	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.0	237 of 350	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.2	298 of 421	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.8	279 of 412	32.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	10.5	567 of 599	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.7	522 of 580	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.8	507 of 568	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.8	555 of 580	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.7	510 of 573	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.2	483 of 554	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.1	517 of 588	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.4	475 of 570	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.5	524 of 634	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.4	541 of 612	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.0	514 of 602	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.3	489 of 608	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.4	513 of 600	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.3	468 of 580	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.8	482 of 600	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.6	443 of 588	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	8.2	570 of 591	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.0	524 of 585	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.0	498 of 571	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.6	490 of 582	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.5	498 of 579	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.4	475 of 561	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.2	511 of 590	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.1	484 of 571	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2026)25th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)17th percentile~ school

Female (2026)5th percentile-10 vs school

Male (2026)4th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts39%-26 vs state

Mathematics37%-16 vs state

Science24%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near St. Helena 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 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	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
St. Helena Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1025 Sea Island Parkway	Saint Helena Island	29920	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 838-0300	325	41	8.0	100.0%	23 (7.1%)	241 (74.2%)	40 (12.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	20 (6.2%)	17.7	561^st of 661 public elementary schools	15.1%		13.8	569^th of 639 public elementary schools	11.0%	8	55.2	30.0	37.8				65.5	32.0	24.5				24.0		$27,964	$2,835	$886	$3,721	$19,936	$4,307	$24,243
Lady's Island Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	73 Chowan Creek Bluff	Beaufort	29907	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 322-2240	241	30	8.0	100.0%	48 (19.9%)	111 (46.1%)	62 (25.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (8.3%)	33.5	435^th of 661 public elementary schools	34.2%		59.3	258^th of 639 public elementary schools	59.6%	177	61.3	41.6	52.8				54.9	12.5	52.7				29.2		$28,727	$2,051	$955	$3,006	$22,219	$3,502	$25,721
Coosa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	45 Middle Road	Beaufort	29907	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 322-6100	467	36	12.9	47.2%	289 (61.9%)	76 (16.3%)	50 (10.7%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (9.6%)	80.9	119^th of 661 public elementary schools	82.0%		87	69^th of 639 public elementary schools	89.2%	50	74.3	83.2	77.1				64.2	69.9	57.8				69.9		$18,666	$671	$431	$1,102	$14,686	$2,877	$17,563
Beaufort Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1800 Prince Street	Beaufort	29902	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 322-2600	375	46	8.2	100.0%	110 (29.3%)	185 (49.3%)	40 (10.7%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.6%)	41.8	389^th of 661 public elementary schools	41.1%		53.3	286^th of 639 public elementary schools	55.2%	103	63.4	58.9	56.5				59.6	44.6	34.8				46.5		$29,935	$2,095	$755	$2,849	$23,096	$3,990	$27,086
Mossy Oaks Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2510 Mossy Oaks Road	Beaufort	29902	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 322-2900	327	42	7.7	100.0%	92 (28.1%)	131 (40.1%)	41 (12.5%)	7 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	54 (16.5%)	34.4	431^st of 661 public elementary schools	34.8%		50.7	305^th of 639 public elementary schools	52.3%	126	36.9	58.5	62.5				26.0	39.0	48.2				48.8		$23,408	$1,041	$702	$1,742	$17,227	$4,439	$21,666
Port Royal Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1214 Paris Avenue	Port Royal	29935	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 322-0820	179	24	7.6	100.0%	51 (28.5%)	71 (39.7%)	42 (23.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (8.4%)	51.7	301^st of 661 public elementary schools	54.5%		41.2	364^th of 639 public elementary schools	43.0%	63	68.9		54.2				62.1		41.6						$25,799	$1,441	$766	$2,207	$19,767	$3,824	$23,592
Robert Smalls Leadership Academy	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	43 W. K. Alston Drive	Beaufort	29906	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 322-2500	785	71	11.0	100.0%	108 (13.8%)	358 (45.6%)	248 (31.6%)	13 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	55 (7.0%)	17.1	566^th of 661 public elementary schools	14.4%		19.6	531^st of 639 public elementary schools	16.9%	35	36.7	34.7	41.5	45.2	47.7	46.4	31.2	20.4	34.2	21.2	22.8	26.6	26.5	33.1	$19,315	$1,285	$518	$1,803	$14,691	$2,821	$17,512
Riverview Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	81 Savannah Highway	Beaufort	29906	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	Yes	No	No	No	(843) 379-0133	694	52	13.2	43.8%	392 (56.5%)	175 (25.2%)	78 (11.2%)	11 (1.6%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.0%)	84.8	86^th of 661 public elementary schools	87.0%		69.8	197^th of 639 public elementary schools	69.2%	111	83.4	81.0	75.1	77.2	81.7	85.0	71.8	65.8	63.8	62.8	49.3	75.0	67.0	64.5	$18,820	$278	$140	$418	$15,525	$2,877	$18,402
Broad River Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	474 Broad River Road	Beaufort	29906	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 322-8400	467	46	10.1	100.0%	86 (18.4%)	172 (36.8%)	134 (28.7%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (14.8%)	24.7	503^rd of 661 public elementary schools	23.9%		32.4	432^nd of 639 public elementary schools	32.4%	71	44.8	56.1	53.8				42.7	36.3	37.2				34.8		$20,751	$1,859	$806	$2,665	$14,866	$3,221	$18,086
Whale Branch Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	15 Stuart Point Road	Seabrook	29940	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 466-1000	409	47	8.7	100.0%	16 (3.9%)	289 (70.7%)	75 (18.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.8%)	23.5	510^th of 661 public elementary schools	22.8%		24.3	495^th of 639 public elementary schools	22.5%	15	45.9	53.0	44.7				42.6	47.0	29.8				36.6		$26,592	$1,931	$875	$2,806	$18,854	$4,932	$23,786

Frequently Asked Questions about St. Helena Elementary

What district is St. Helena Elementary in?

Beaufort 01

What is the racial makeup of St. Helena Elementary?

Students at St. Helena Elementary are 74% African American, 12% Hispanic, 7% White, 6% Two or more races.

How many students attend St. Helena Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 325 students attended St. Helena Elementary.

What schools do graduates of St. Helena Elementary attend?

Students who attend St. Helena Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lady's Island Middle
High : Beaufort High

Is St. Helena Elementary a good school?

St. Helena Elementary ranks in the bottom 15.1% of South Carolina elementary schools.

Rate St. Helena Elementary!

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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.