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St. Helena Elementary

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

570^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 640 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 11% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

St. Helena Elementary is a public magnet elementary school located in Saint Helena Island, South Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a student population of 326. 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 its magnet school status, St. Helena Elementary is underperforming academically compared to nearby schools in the district. The school has consistently low test scores, with only 35.6% of 3rd-graders proficient in ELA in 2024-2025, compared to 59.7% for the district and 61.8% for the state. Additionally, the school has high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 15.5% to 29.7% over the past few years, significantly higher than the district and state averages. These factors may be contributing to the school's academic struggles, as it serves a 100% free and reduced-price lunch student population, indicating a low-socioeconomic status (SES) student body.

Interestingly, St. Helena Elementary has a relatively high per-student spending of $24,556 in 2023-2024, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages. The school also has a low student-teacher ratio of 7.7 in 2023-2024, lower than the nearby schools and the district average. However, these additional resources do not appear to be translating into improved student outcomes, as the school's performance has remained consistently low over the past several years, with little to no improvement in its statewide ranking or SchoolDigger star rating. This raises questions about the effectiveness of the magnet program and the school's ability to address the systemic challenges it faces.

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: Improving — 5th percentile in 2015 → 11th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 8 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (34% vs 56% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 23 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

District avg57%

South Carolina avg56%

570^th of 640

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 11%▲ up 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 5% (2015) to bottom 11% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

18^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	13.8	570 of 640	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.0	561 of 638	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2025	24.5	322 of 381	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.4	299 of 369	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2025	14.7	523 of 581	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.8	504 of 565	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2025	17.4	542 of 613	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.0	510 of 599	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2025	13.0	525 of 586	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.0	496 of 568	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
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 (2025)15th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)12th percentile~ school

Male (2025)10th percentile~ school

Female (2025)10th percentile~ school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts40%-23 vs state

Mathematics31%-21 vs state

Science27%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near St. Helena 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
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		23 (7.1%)	241 (74.2%)	40 (12.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	20 (6.2%)	13.8	570^th of 640 public elementary schools	10.9%		14	561^st of 638 public elementary schools	12.1%	9	35.6	39.6	44.1				28.8	33.3	32.2				27.1			$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		48 (19.9%)	111 (46.1%)	62 (25.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (8.3%)	59.3	258^th of 640 public elementary schools	59.7%		54.3	288^th of 638 public elementary schools	54.9%	30	37.0	66.7	74.3				48.1	72.7	65.7				39.4			$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		289 (61.9%)	76 (16.3%)	50 (10.7%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (9.6%)	87	69^th of 640 public elementary schools	89.2%		92.3	36^th of 638 public elementary schools	94.4%	33	80.0	82.7	76.6				74.4	71.6	59.4				70.4			$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		110 (29.3%)	185 (49.3%)	40 (10.7%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.6%)	53.3	286^th of 640 public elementary schools	55.3%		47.2	342^nd of 638 public elementary schools	46.4%	56	63.5	60.3	64.3				59.6	50.0	47.3				43.1			$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		92 (28.1%)	131 (40.1%)	41 (12.5%)	7 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	54 (16.5%)	50.7	305^th of 640 public elementary schools	52.3%		43.3	362^nd of 638 public elementary schools	43.3%	57	45.7	67.9	63.8				36.9	62.2	42.6				54.7			$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		51 (28.5%)	71 (39.7%)	42 (23.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (8.4%)	41.2	365^th of 640 public elementary schools	43.0%		26.8	468^th of 638 public elementary schools	26.6%	103		55.5	46.1					51.8	46.2				44.4			$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		108 (13.8%)	358 (45.6%)	248 (31.6%)	13 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	55 (7.0%)	19.6	532^nd of 640 public elementary schools	16.9%		13.7	562^nd of 638 public elementary schools	11.9%	30	55.1	37.5	45.7	40.6	39.2	43.8	44.9	27.1	34.8	16.1	17.0	13.1	20.9	32.2		$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		392 (56.5%)	175 (25.2%)	78 (11.2%)	11 (1.6%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.0%)	69.8	197^th of 640 public elementary schools	69.2%		74.5	155^th of 638 public elementary schools	75.7%	42	73.8	65.8	76.3	67.6	76.8	80.0	61.3	50.6	62.6	52.0	56.5	63.3	38.0	62.4	97.2	$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		86 (18.4%)	172 (36.8%)	134 (28.7%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (14.8%)	32.4	433^rd of 640 public elementary schools	32.3%		32.7	430^th of 638 public elementary schools	32.6%	3	51.5	54.0	63.0				52.8	32.9	33.4				32.5			$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		16 (3.9%)	289 (70.7%)	75 (18.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.8%)	24.3	496^th of 640 public elementary schools	22.5%		11	587^th of 638 public elementary schools	8.0%	91	41.7	59.6	32.8				45.0	48.9	28.5				34.0			$26,592	$1,931	$875	$2,806	$18,854	$4,932	$23,786

Frequently Asked Questions about 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

What district is St. Helena Elementary in?

Beaufort 01

Is St. Helena Elementary a good school?

St. Helena Elementary ranks in the bottom 10.9% of South Carolina elementary schools.

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.

Rate St. Helena Elementary!

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SCSouth Carolina Elementary School Rankings

SCSouth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Saint Helena Island, SC

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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.