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St. Matthews K-8 School

Public Grades PK, KG-8

499^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 640 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 22% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

St. Matthews K-8 School is a public elementary school serving 547 students in grades PK-8 in Saint Matthews, South Carolina, which is part of the Calhoun 01 school district.

The school is facing several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 12.5% to 31.3%, which are significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, the school's test scores on the SC READY assessments are generally below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 3rd grade English Language Arts proficiency rate was 57.6% compared to the state average of 61.8%, and its 3rd grade Mathematics proficiency rate was 37.3% compared to the state average of 56.3%. When looking at the performance of specific student subgroups, St. Matthews K-8 School ranks lower than the state average for female, male, African American, and low socioeconomic status students, indicating achievement gaps that need to be addressed.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Sandy Run School, Edisto Elementary, and Webber School, St. Matthews K-8 School is underperforming, with lower test scores, higher chronic absenteeism rates, and poorer overall rankings. All of the schools in the surrounding area, including St. Matthews K-8 School, have very high rates of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school and district serve a predominantly low-income population, which can present unique challenges.

509

Students ?

12.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,017

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

135 Saints Avenue
Saint Matthews, SC 29135

(803) 655-2750

District: Calhoun 01

Students who attend St. Matthews K-8 School usually attend:

High:

Calhoun County High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

73.7%

White:

14.9%

Hispanic:

9.6%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare St. Matthews K-8 School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 38th percentile in 2015 → 22nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (37% vs 51% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school37%

District avg37%

South Carolina avg51%

Elementary school

499^th of 640

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 22%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From bottom 38% (2015) to bottom 22% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

218^th of 320

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 32%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 36% (2015) to bottom 32% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Elementary Schools in the Calhoun 01

57^th of 75Calhoun 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	24.0	499 of 640	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.5	528 of 638	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.1	474 of 644	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.9	508 of 625	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.3	525 of 622	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.0	492 of 643	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.7	432 of 624	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.0	404 of 639	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	34.9	419 of 619	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	39.2	397 of 638	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	43.4	393 of 630	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	44.5	363 of 599	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	47.4	355 of 594	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	41.4	397 of 597	33.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	38.0	246 of 381	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.2	233 of 369	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.9	224 of 394	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.2	282 of 393	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.6	293 of 350	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.6	257 of 421	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.6	178 of 412	56.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	27.6	433 of 581	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.2	517 of 565	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.1	461 of 580	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.5	453 of 573	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.9	425 of 588	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	44.6	325 of 570	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	23.6	504 of 613	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.5	462 of 599	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.4	436 of 608	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.8	483 of 600	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.9	482 of 580	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.9	449 of 600	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.5	340 of 588	42.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	21.2	473 of 586	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.3	418 of 568	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.6	422 of 582	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.6	489 of 579	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.0	490 of 561	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.9	491 of 590	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.5	460 of 571	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	32.4	218 of 320	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.4	224 of 325	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.5	235 of 325	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.7	214 of 310	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	15.4	267 of 311	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.6	217 of 315	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.8	200 of 303	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.1	204 of 317	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	22.9	245 of 303	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	36.7	192 of 301	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	37.1	197 of 291	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	39.5	185 of 276	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	59.5	122 of 271	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	51.2	153 of 269	43.1%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	48.1	123 of 252	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.9	124 of 248	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.3	131 of 253	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.7	86 of 249	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	22.5	209 of 235	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	55.9	87 of 252	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.2	54 of 237	77.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	34.7	195 of 295	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.8	221 of 294	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.0	219 of 299	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.9	173 of 290	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.0	204 of 296	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.3	188 of 281	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	39.9	186 of 307	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.1	185 of 307	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.9	208 of 313	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.1	151 of 300	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.7	239 of 288	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.2	135 of 289	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.1	111 of 280	60.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	30.1	213 of 296	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.3	182 of 294	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.9	224 of 303	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.3	214 of 292	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.1	265 of 279	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	32.3	204 of 296	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.3	190 of 284	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

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

African American (2025)35th percentile+13 vs school

Female (2025)25th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)19th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)18th percentile-4 vs school

Middle school

African American (2025)51st percentile+19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)39th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)34th percentile~ school

Male (2025)28th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts51%-9 vs state

Science30%-19 vs state

Mathematics24%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near St. Matthews K-8 School

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)		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	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. Matthews K-8 School	Public	PK, KG-8	135 Saints Avenue	Saint Matthews	29135	Calhoun County	Calhoun 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 655-2750	509	42	12.1		76 (14.9%)	375 (73.7%)	49 (9.6%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.8%)	24	499^th of 640 public elementary schools	22.0%		19.5	528^th of 638 public elementary schools	17.2%	29	57.6	42.2	48.3	50.0	52.1	53.4	37.3	33.3	17.2	32.6	8.3	18.9	28.9	30.5	$18,017	$2,279	$584	$2,863	$12,446	$2,708	$15,155
Marshall Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1441 Marshall Street	Orangeburg	29118	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 534-7865	625	39	16.1		13 (2.1%)	557 (89.1%)	21 (3.4%)	15 (2.4%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (2.4%)	15.2	564^th of 640 public elementary schools	11.9%		9.8	605^th of 638 public elementary schools	5.2%	41	46.0	40.4	44.0				41.8	24.5	24.2				26.6		$13,038	$1,084	$1,111	$2,195	$9,302	$1,541	$10,843
Brookdale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	394 Brookdale Drive	Orangeburg	29115	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 534-5982	215	16	13.2		6 (2.8%)	185 (86.0%)	18 (8.4%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)	21.6	518^th of 640 public elementary schools	19.1%		34.3	418^th of 638 public elementary schools	34.5%	100	37.5	44.2	42.4				50.0	26.5	45.5				26.4		$17,461	$1,557	$1,271	$2,827	$12,681	$1,953	$14,634
Sheridan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1139 Hillsboro Road	Orangeburg	29115	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 534-7504	450	32	13.8		11 (2.4%)	380 (84.4%)	35 (7.8%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.9%)	16 (3.6%)	11.2	592^nd of 640 public elementary schools	7.5%		10	600^th of 638 public elementary schools	6.0%	8	33.9	27.6	31.9				33.9	44.9	20.3				22.4		$14,393	$1,569	$1,337	$2,906	$9,878	$1,609	$11,487
Felton Laboratory Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	115 Lance Street	Orangeburg	29117	Orangeburg County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(803) 536-7034	279	13	20.8		2 (0.7%)	238 (85.3%)	9 (3.2%)	15 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.4%)	31.3	439^th of 640 public elementary schools	31.4%		33.2	427^th of 638 public elementary schools	33.1%	12	76.2	41.7	69.6	50.0	73.3	53.6	28.5	19.5	39.1	20.6	16.7	31.8	33.3	41.2	$14,208	$1,309	$1,231	$2,540	$8,179	$3,489	$11,668
Whittaker Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	790 Whittaker Parkway	Orangeburg	29115	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 534-6559	325	21	15.4		7 (2.2%)	289 (88.9%)	22 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.8%)	21.1	523^rd of 640 public elementary schools	18.3%		25.7	478^th of 638 public elementary schools	25.1%	45	21.8	37.0	45.8				47.8	19.6	48.0				32.6		$14,485	$1,758	$1,059	$2,816	$9,720	$1,948	$11,668
Gadsden Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1660 South Goodwin Circle	Gadsden	29052	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 353-2231	133	15	8.8		6 (4.5%)	121 (91.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.8%)								(n/a)															$38,976	$4,017	$1,824	$5,842	$28,572	$4,562	$33,134
Sandy Run School	Public	PK, KG-8	450 Old Swamp Road	Swansea	29160	Calhoun County	Calhoun 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 655-2746	559	45	12.5		304 (54.4%)	211 (37.7%)	32 (5.7%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	25.4	487^th of 640 public elementary schools	23.9%		25.3	481^st of 638 public elementary schools	24.6%	6	51.8	48.3	41.5	50.0	45.9	46.7	30.3	25.9	26.5	44.4	26.3	17.7	39.7	26.0	$16,927	$1,849	$438	$2,286	$12,014	$2,626	$14,640
Mellichamp Elementary	Public	3-5	350 Murray Road	Orangeburg	29115	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 534-8044	144	14	10.0		9 (6.3%)	123 (85.4%)	9 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	5.1	632^nd of 640 public elementary schools	1.3%		5.4	630^th of 638 public elementary schools	1.3%	2	29.2	20.0	33.9				29.3	16.0	23.7				10.0		$25,614	$4,008	$1,991	$5,999	$16,849	$2,766	$19,615
Willie Jeffries School of Excellence	Public, Charter	K-6	3000 Five Chop Road	Orangeburg	29115	Orangeburg County	Charter Institute at Erskine	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(803) 250-5717	274	25	11.1		15 (5.5%)	243 (88.7%)	4 (1.5%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.3%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about St. Matthews K-8 School

How many students attend St. Matthews K-8 School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 509 students attended St. Matthews K-8 School.

Is St. Matthews K-8 School a good school?

St. Matthews K-8 School ranks in the bottom 22.0% of South Carolina elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of St. Matthews K-8 School?

Students at St. Matthews K-8 School are 74% African American, 15% White, 10% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of St. Matthews K-8 School attend?

Students who attend St. Matthews K-8 School usually go on to attend:

High : Calhoun County High

What district is St. Matthews K-8 School in?

Calhoun 01

Rate St. Matthews K-8 School!

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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.