Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

James Island Elementary

Q: Is James Island Elementary a good school?

James Island Elementary ranks 142 nd of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

142^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 79% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

James Island Elementary is a mid-sized public school in Charleston, SC, serving 580 students in grades PK-5 within the Charleston 01 district. It has shown a clear upward trajectory, climbing from the 61st percentile statewide in 2018-2019 to the 79th percentile in 2025-2026, making it a solid, above-average option in a competitive local landscape.

The school's standout strength is early-grade math, with 3rd-grade proficiency at 76.8% and 4th-grade at 75.3%—both well above district and state averages. It also excels with its Gifted and Talented students, who jumped from the 17th percentile statewide in 2022-2023 to the 71st percentile in 2024-2025. Chronic absenteeism is notably low at 14.5%, compared to 20.5% for the district and 22.3% for the state, suggesting a supportive and engaging environment. However, there is a "5th-grade slump" in math, with proficiency dropping to 54.9%—below the district average of 59.3%—indicating a potential area for targeted support in upper elementary.

Compared to nearby schools, James Island is a high-performing alternative. It significantly outranks Mitchell Elementary (3rd percentile) and Stono Park Elementary (21st percentile), though it operates in the shadow of top-ranked neighbors like Stiles Point Elementary (#4 in the state) and Harbor View Elementary. Notably, James Island spends significantly more per student ($26,743) than those higher-ranked peers (around $17,000-$18,000), raising questions about efficiency. The school has also made remarkable progress in serving its African American students, whose statewide ranking soared from the 9th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 67th percentile in 2025-2026, reflecting a deliberate focus on equity and achievement for all learners.

580

Students ?

14.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,743

Per pupil spending ?

44.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1872 Grimball Road
Charleston, SC 29412

(843) 762-8240

District: Charleston 01

Students who attend James Island Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Camp Road Middle
High:	James Island Charter High

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.0%

African American:

26.2%

Two or more races:

4.5%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare James Island Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 71st percentile in 2016 → 79th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Carolina average (69% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 21% of South Carolina elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school69%

District avg65%

South Carolina avg58%

142^nd of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 21%▲ up 7 pts since 2016

From top 29% (2016) to top 21% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

20^th of 46Elementary Schools in the Charleston 01

22^nd of 75Charleston 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	77.0	142 of 661	78.5%	★★★★☆
2025	74.3	166 of 639	74.0%	★★★★☆
2024	66.1	210 of 643	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.5	234 of 644	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.0	188 of 625	69.9%	★★★★☆
2021	65.6	202 of 622	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.5	251 of 643	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.3	215 of 624	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	64.1	208 of 639	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	68.0	179 of 619	71.1%	★★★★☆
2015	51.8	287 of 638	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	57.9	279 of 630	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	55.6	297 of 599	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	63.5	224 of 594	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	68.4	185 of 597	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	61.8	219 of 589	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	59.7	243 of 580	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	51.0	320 of 577	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	65.8	183 of 566	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	68.3	171 of 559	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2005	71.6	141 of 557	74.7%	★★★★☆
2004	60.5	226 of 550	58.9%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.8	127 of 384	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.1	186 of 380	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	20.4	334 of 369	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	32.4	280 of 393	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	46.6	176 of 350	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.8	156 of 421	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.6	170 of 412	58.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	73.7	142 of 599	76.3%	★★★★☆
2025	75.9	131 of 580	77.4%	★★★★☆
2024	52.4	273 of 568	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.0	264 of 580	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.8	195 of 573	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.3	234 of 554	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.1	247 of 588	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.3	185 of 570	67.5%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.1	142 of 196	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	66.6	29 of 101	71.3%	★★★★☆
2023	43.3	87 of 105	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.3	120 of 147	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.8	277 of 634	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.7	315 of 612	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.6	322 of 602	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.3	347 of 608	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.5	374 of 600	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.9	291 of 580	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.0	290 of 600	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.6	256 of 588	56.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	75.5	131 of 591	77.8%	★★★★☆
2025	67.1	198 of 585	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.0	183 of 571	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.5	206 of 582	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.5	197 of 579	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.2	147 of 561	73.8%	★★★★☆
2019	58.9	243 of 590	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.8	238 of 571	58.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	72.4	121 of 463	73.9%	★★★★☆
2025	76.2	97 of 459	78.9%	★★★★☆
2024	63.1	173 of 446	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.9	210 of 463	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.5	132 of 455	71.0%	★★★★☆
2021	69.7	122 of 439	72.2%	★★★★☆
2019	53.1	232 of 472	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.5	165 of 457	63.9%	★★★☆☆

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)

Male (2026)78th percentile~ school

Female (2026)76th percentile~ school

White (2026)74th percentile-5 vs school

African American (2026)67th percentile-12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)56th percentile-22 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)28th percentile-51 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts71%+6 vs state

Mathematics69%+15 vs state

Science66%+14 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

Rate James Island Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Do yourselves a favor, and if you can get your kids into another school, do so. Close Quote

Schools Near James Island Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

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
James Island Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1872 Grimball Road	Charleston	29412	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 762-8240	580	41	14.1	44.2%	377 (65.0%)	152 (26.2%)	19 (3.3%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (4.5%)	77	142^nd of 661 public elementary schools	78.5%		74.3	166^th of 639 public elementary schools	74.0%	24	73.9	72.9	65.8				76.8	75.3	54.9				65.9		$26,743	$4,799	$1,534	$6,333	$16,689	$3,721	$20,410
Murray-LaSaine Montessori	Public	PK, KG-8	691 Riverland Drive	Charleston	29412	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 762-2765	347	25	14.1	29.6%	283 (81.6%)	28 (8.1%)	22 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.7%)	79.1	130^th of 661 public elementary schools	80.3%		78.9	127^th of 639 public elementary schools	80.1%	3	82.0	80.5	82.4	62.5			74.3	61.2	55.9	33.4			72.3	66.7	$26,181	$3,783	$1,369	$5,152	$16,995	$4,034	$21,029
Stiles Point Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	883-A Mikell Drive	Charleston	29412	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 762-2767	866	51	17.1	15.4%	772 (89.1%)	34 (3.9%)	19 (2.2%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (4.0%)	97.4	5^th of 661 public elementary schools	99.2%		96.2	15^th of 639 public elementary schools	97.7%	10	94.5	90.0	93.1				93.6	86.7	86.2				85.4		$17,245	$3,274	$1,316	$4,590	$10,588	$2,066	$12,654
Harbor View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1576 Harbor View Road	Charleston	29412	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 762-2749	621	42	14.6	36.9%	483 (77.8%)	71 (11.4%)	29 (4.7%)	7 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	28 (4.5%)	90.4	47^th of 661 public elementary schools	92.9%		91.1	41^st of 639 public elementary schools	93.6%	6	78.3	82.8	87.5				76.6	73.1	75.0				80.7		$16,949	$2,536	$1,313	$3,849	$10,363	$2,737	$13,100
St. Andrew's School of Math and Science	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	30 Chadwick Drive	Charleston	29407	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	Yes	No	No	(843) 763-1503	769	52	14.8	41.7%	450 (58.5%)	166 (21.6%)	82 (10.7%)	15 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	54 (7.0%)	82.6	104^th of 661 public elementary schools	84.3%		86.3	75^th of 639 public elementary schools	88.3%	29	81.6	76.5	66.1				83.2	67.2	61.7				73.1		$18,113	$3,633	$1,283	$4,916	$10,805	$2,392	$13,197
Stono Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	314 Huntley Drive	Charleston	29407	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 763-1507	337	25	13.4	100.0%	56 (16.6%)	232 (68.8%)	23 (6.8%)	5 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.2%)	22.2	522^nd of 661 public elementary schools	21.0%		16.8	550^th of 639 public elementary schools	13.9%	28	45.4	43.9	50.0				45.5	31.7	41.2				36.6		$28,562	$6,379	$1,956	$8,335	$15,932	$4,295	$20,227
Memminger Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	20 Beaufain Street	Charleston	29401	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 724-7778	438	37	11.8	100.0%	221 (50.5%)	176 (40.2%)	11 (2.5%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.9%)	33.3	436^th of 661 public elementary schools	34.0%		30.2	449^th of 639 public elementary schools	29.7%	13	53.0	55.5	37.1				53.0	47.2	31.5				52.8		$26,342	$4,773	$1,844	$6,616	$15,297	$4,429	$19,726
Charleston Development Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	233 Line Street	Charleston	29403	Charleston County	Charleston 01	Yes	No	No	Yes	(843) 722-2689	151	15	10.2	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	151 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35.2	428^th of 661 public elementary schools	35.2%					(n/a)				57.7		65.0				15.3		15.0		42.3
Charleston Progressive	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	382 Meeting Street	Charleston	29403	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 720-2967	184	21	8.5	100.0%	2 (1.1%)	173 (94.0%)	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.3%)	54.3	284^th of 661 public elementary schools	57.0%		44.8	342^nd of 639 public elementary schools	46.5%	58	68.9	70.0	58.8				62.0	45.0	38.2				65.0		$36,481	$7,724	$2,465	$10,188	$20,136	$6,156	$26,292
Mitchell Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	2 Perry Street	Charleston	29403	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 724-7261	188	24	7.8	100.0%	6 (3.2%)	167 (88.8%)	5 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.3%)	8.7	640^th of 661 public elementary schools	3.2%		7.3	621^st of 639 public elementary schools	2.8%	19	28.5	25.1	45.0				33.4	12.6	40.0				18.7		$36,173	$8,691	$2,278	$10,969	$18,813	$6,391	$25,204

Frequently Asked Questions about James Island Elementary

Is James Island Elementary a good school?

James Island Elementary ranks 142^nd of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of James Island Elementary?

Students at James Island Elementary are 65% White, 26% African American, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

How many students attend James Island Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 580 students attended James Island Elementary.

What schools do graduates of James Island Elementary attend?

Students who attend James Island Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Camp Road Middle
High : James Island Charter High

What district is James Island Elementary in?

Charleston 01

Rate James Island Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

SCSouth Carolina Elementary School Rankings

SCSouth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Charleston, SC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for James Island Elementary!

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.