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River Ridge Academy

Q: Is River Ridge Academy a good school?

River Ridge Academy ranks 114 th of 640 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-8

114^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 640 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 82% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

River Ridge Academy is a public magnet elementary and middle school located in Bluffton, South Carolina, serving grades PK-8 with a total enrollment of 1,138 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.

River Ridge Academy consistently outperforms the Beaufort 01 district and the state of South Carolina in academic assessments, with 100% proficiency in EOCEP/Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 in the 2024-2025 school year, compared to 67.94% for the district and 73.95% for the state. The school's proficiency rates in SC READY English Language Arts and Mathematics assessments across all grade levels were also significantly higher than the district and state averages. Additionally, River Ridge Academy ranks highly in the state for Hispanic students, English Language Learners, and Gifted and Talented students, indicating its ability to cater to the needs of diverse learners.

While River Ridge Academy has experienced an increase in chronic absenteeism over the past few years, reaching 24.7% in 2022-2023, the school's rates are still lower than the state average. The school also maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio, ranging from 12.7 to 14.3 over the past few years, which is lower than many of the nearby schools, such as Hilton Head Island School for the Creative Arts, Hilton Head Island Elementary, and Hilton Head Island Early Childhood Center.

1,134

Students ?

13.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,899

Per pupil spending ?

42.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3050 River Ridge Drive
Bluffton, SC 29910

(843) 836-4600

District: Beaufort 01

Students who attend River Ridge Academy usually attend:

High:

May River High

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.8%

Hispanic:

26.7%

African American:

6.5%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare River Ridge Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 88th percentile in 2018 → 82nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Carolina average (64% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 18% of South Carolina elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Beaufort 01

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2018

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school64%

District avg53%

South Carolina avg53%

Elementary school

114^th of 640

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 18%▼ down 5 pts since 2018

From top 12% (2018) to top 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

67^th of 320

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 21%▼ down 11 pts since 2018

From top 10% (2018) to top 21% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	80.0	114 of 640	82.2%	★★★★☆
2024	80.3	119 of 638	81.3%	★★★★☆
2023	76.1	141 of 644	78.1%	★★★★☆
2022	81.3	107 of 625	82.9%	★★★★☆
2021	81.6	104 of 622	83.3%	★★★★☆
2019	78.3	124 of 643	80.7%	★★★★☆
2018	85.1	77 of 624	87.7%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	57.0	159 of 421	62.2%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	55.5	57 of 147	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.8	67 of 143	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.4	112 of 174	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.0	122 of 189	35.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	69.1	25 of 104	76.0%	★★★★☆
2023	61.5	21 of 72	70.8%	★★★★☆
2022	67.6	21 of 84	75.0%	★★★★☆
2021	64.9	30 of 84	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.3	49 of 104	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	78.5	11 of 82	86.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	73.7	144 of 581	75.2%	★★★★☆
2024	76.4	121 of 565	78.6%	★★★★☆
2023	69.9	171 of 580	70.5%	★★★★☆
2022	81.7	101 of 573	82.4%	★★★★☆
2021	73.0	138 of 554	75.1%	★★★★☆
2019	77.3	123 of 588	79.1%	★★★★☆
2018	78.4	108 of 570	81.1%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	65.0	40 of 101	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.8	50 of 82	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	63.6	53 of 105	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.1	48 of 109	56.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	72.0	35 of 156	77.6%	★★★★☆
2024	77.8	16 of 115	86.1%	★★★★☆
2023	65.9	38 of 115	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.8	34 of 115	70.4%	★★★★☆
2021	79.6	11 of 86	87.2%	★★★★☆
2019	63.7	42 of 116	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	78.5	15 of 104	85.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	71.4	145 of 613	76.3%	★★★★☆
2024	72.0	143 of 599	76.1%	★★★★☆
2023	72.3	141 of 608	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	79.3	100 of 600	83.3%	★★★★☆
2021	81.2	85 of 580	85.3%	★★★★☆
2019	58.4	252 of 600	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	79.1	89 of 588	84.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	81.6	86 of 586	85.3%	★★★★☆
2024	79.8	109 of 568	80.8%	★★★★☆
2023	74.4	131 of 582	77.5%	★★★★☆
2022	76.9	125 of 579	78.4%	★★★★☆
2021	84.4	75 of 561	86.6%	★★★★☆
2019	76.9	124 of 590	79.0%	★★★★☆
2018	86.1	68 of 571	88.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	73.3	114 of 460	75.2%	★★★★☆
2024	71.6	120 of 441	72.8%	★★★★☆
2023	68.8	141 of 463	69.5%	★★★★☆
2022	77.1	89 of 455	80.4%	★★★★☆
2021	79.0	77 of 439	82.5%	★★★★☆
2019	77.9	79 of 472	83.3%	★★★★☆
2018	81.7	71 of 457	84.5%	★★★★☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	75.6	67 of 320	79.1%	★★★★☆
2024	87.5	39 of 325	88.0%	★★★★☆
2023	85.8	43 of 325	86.8%	★★★★☆
2022	91.5	22 of 310	92.9%	★★★★★
2021	84.8	39 of 311	87.5%	★★★★☆
2019	84.1	45 of 315	85.7%	★★★★☆
2018	87.2	30 of 303	90.1%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	71.2	39 of 252	84.5%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	67.5	36 of 184	80.4%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	53.2	37 of 108	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.8	33 of 105	68.6%	★★★★☆
2023	50.2	43 of 95	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	74.7	17 of 97	82.5%	★★★★☆
2021	67.8	20 of 87	77.0%	★★★★☆
2019	66.0	33 of 117	71.8%	★★★★☆
2018	88.2	8 of 93	91.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	59.3	105 of 295	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	84.0	40 of 294	86.4%	★★★★☆
2023	72.1	69 of 299	76.9%	★★★★☆
2022	90.2	23 of 290	92.1%	★★★★★
2021	82.6	42 of 279	84.9%	★★★★☆
2019	85.9	37 of 296	87.5%	★★★★☆
2018	82.5	41 of 281	85.4%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	65.6	74 of 173	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	77.1	23 of 183	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	75.1	35 of 185	81.1%	★★★★☆
2022	79.1	23 of 182	87.4%	★★★★☆
2021	62.5	74 of 179	58.7%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	55.6	63 of 156	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.6	35 of 144	75.7%	★★★★☆
2023	70.6	33 of 141	76.6%	★★★★☆
2022	88.1	12 of 129	90.7%	★★★★★
2021	78.2	16 of 111	85.6%	★★★★☆
2019	70.0	35 of 139	74.8%	★★★★☆
2018	85.6	16 of 123	87.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	58.2	104 of 307	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	78.3	40 of 307	87.0%	★★★★☆
2023	90.4	21 of 313	93.3%	★★★★★
2022	92.7	12 of 300	96.0%	★★★★★
2021	77.5	46 of 288	84.0%	★★★★☆
2019	76.1	52 of 289	82.0%	★★★★☆
2018	87.0	27 of 280	90.4%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	84.6	38 of 296	87.2%	★★★★☆
2024	86.7	35 of 294	88.1%	★★★★☆
2023	91.3	21 of 303	93.1%	★★★★★
2022	91.3	24 of 292	91.8%	★★★★★
2021	84.6	36 of 279	87.1%	★★★★☆
2019	82.3	48 of 296	83.8%	★★★★☆
2018	87.7	27 of 284	90.5%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	73.7	64 of 257	75.1%	★★★★☆
2024	86.0	30 of 255	88.2%	★★★★☆
2023	83.5	37 of 260	85.8%	★★★★☆
2022	89.3	21 of 249	91.6%	★★★★★
2021	85.2	30 of 244	87.7%	★★★★☆
2019	84.0	38 of 258	85.3%	★★★★☆
2018	79.3	40 of 250	84.0%	★★★★☆

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)

Elementary school

Male (2025)85th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)78th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)76th percentile-6 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)76th percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)75th percentile-7 vs school

Female (2025)75th percentile-7 vs school

African American (2019)62nd percentile-18 vs school

Disabled (2025)61st percentile-21 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)60th percentile-22 vs school

Middle school

Male (2025)87th percentile+8 vs school

African American (2019)85th percentile~ school

Disabled (2025)80th percentile~ school

White (2025)75th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)66th percentile-13 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)66th percentile-13 vs school

Female (2025)64th percentile-15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)60th percentile-19 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)57th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2100%+26 vs state

English Language Arts70%+11 vs state

Science63%+14 vs state

Mathematics56%+12 vs state

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Schools Near River Ridge Academy

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Hardeeville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	150 Hurricane Alley	Hardeeville	29927	Jasper County	Jasper 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 310-1888	691	33	20.9		40 (5.8%)	172 (24.9%)	468 (67.7%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.9%)	3.7	637^th of 640 public elementary schools	0.5%		5.9	627^th of 638 public elementary schools	1.7%	10	23.6	19.7	29.3				14.4	12.8	25.5				15.3
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

Frequently Asked Questions about River Ridge Academy

What is the racial makeup of River Ridge Academy?

Students at River Ridge Academy are 58% White, 27% Hispanic, 7% African American, 5% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What district is River Ridge Academy in?

Beaufort 01

How many students attend River Ridge Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,134 students attended River Ridge Academy.

Is River Ridge Academy a good school?

River Ridge Academy ranks 114^th of 640 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of River Ridge Academy attend?

Students who attend River Ridge Academy usually go on to attend:

High : May River High

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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.