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B. D. Lee Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

625^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 640 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

B. D. Lee Elementary is a public elementary school located in Gaffney, South Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a student population of 617. The school is part of the Cherokee 01 School District, which is ranked 58 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

B. D. Lee Elementary consistently performs below the state and district averages in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 29.5% of 3rd graders, 32.8% of 4th graders, and 41.4% of 5th graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state averages of 61.8%, 63.5%, and 62.5%, respectively. The school's performance in mathematics is even lower, with only 20% of 3rd graders, 24.7% of 4th graders, and 24.3% of 5th graders scoring proficient or better, compared to the state averages of 56.3%, 53.7%, and 48.1%. Additionally, B. D. Lee Elementary has consistently high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 22.5% to 39.3% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average.

When comparing B. D. Lee Elementary to other nearby schools in the same district, such as Blacksburg Elementary, Northwest Elementary, and Corinth Elementary, it becomes clear that the school is an outlier in terms of academic performance, with proficiency rates that are often 20-30 percentage points higher. Furthermore, when comparing B. D. Lee Elementary to schools in the neighboring Spartanburg 03 district, the performance gap widens even further, with schools like Cowpens Elementary outperforming B. D. Lee Elementary by a wide margin.

603

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$5,496

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

401 Overbrook Drive
Gaffney, SC 29341

(864) 206-6432

District: Cherokee 01

Students who attend B. D. Lee Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Gaffney Middle
High:	Gaffney High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

65.2%

White:

19.1%

Hispanic:

9.1%

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Compare B. D. Lee Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 26th percentile in 2015 → 2nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (27% vs 56% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (30% vs 22% South Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school27%

District avg42%

South Carolina avg56%

625^th of 640

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 24 pts since 2015

From bottom 26% (2015) to bottom 2% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Cherokee 01

58^th of 75Cherokee 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	6.5	625 of 640	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.8	633 of 638	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.2	638 of 644	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.0	600 of 625	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.6	551 of 622	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.8	533 of 643	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.5	509 of 624	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.6	495 of 639	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	26.0	487 of 619	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	31.1	469 of 638	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	21.4	553 of 630	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	9.6	569 of 599	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	10.3	559 of 594	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	15.3	545 of 597	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	15.3	546 of 589	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	19.2	515 of 580	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	23.9	491 of 577	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	31.3	443 of 566	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	44.2	354 of 559	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2005	44.9	350 of 557	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2004	50.2	309 of 550	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2003	48.2	307 of 542	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	13.9	368 of 381	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.9	365 of 369	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.6	376 of 394	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.1	345 of 393	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.5	271 of 350	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.8	261 of 421	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.4	232 of 412	43.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	9.0	556 of 581	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.3	562 of 565	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.5	568 of 580	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.3	521 of 573	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	26.1	415 of 554	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.2	532 of 588	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	40.7	354 of 570	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	9.1	601 of 613	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.1	593 of 599	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.9	593 of 608	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.3	568 of 600	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.0	481 of 580	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.6	499 of 600	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.5	444 of 588	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	9.1	551 of 586	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.3	548 of 568	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.2	565 of 582	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.3	555 of 579	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	36.5	387 of 590	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	13.9	521 of 571	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)6th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)4th percentile~ school

African American (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)2nd percentile~ school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts34%-29 vs state

Mathematics23%-30 vs state

Science15%-34 vs state

★

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Schools Near B. D. Lee 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)		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 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 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
B. D. Lee Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	401 Overbrook Drive	Gaffney	29341	Cherokee County	Cherokee 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 206-6432	603	40	15.1		115 (19.1%)	393 (65.2%)	55 (9.1%)	10 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.0%)	6.5	625^th of 640 public elementary schools	2.3%		4.8	633^rd of 638 public elementary schools	0.8%	8	29.5	32.8	41.4			20.0	24.7	24.3			15.1		$5,496	$1,653	$1,002	$2,655	$1,808	$1,032	$2,841
Luther L. Vaughan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	192 Vaughan Road	Gaffney	29341	Cherokee County	Cherokee 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 206-6054	399	34	11.9		101 (25.3%)	161 (40.4%)	126 (31.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.8%)	4.4	635^th of 640 public elementary schools	0.8%		3.9	636^th of 638 public elementary schools	0.3%	1	30.6	28.2	32.9			24.0	19.6	17.9			10.9		$5,850	$1,627	$818	$2,445	$2,368	$1,037	$3,405
Limestone-Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	727 Pacolet Highway	Gaffney	29341	Cherokee County	Cherokee 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 206-6620	436	33	13.2		202 (46.3%)	166 (38.1%)	44 (10.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (5.0%)	18.4	539^th of 640 public elementary schools	15.8%		10	599^th of 638 public elementary schools	6.1%	60	54.7	50.7	46.0			32.0	19.4	17.6			32.8		$5,349	$1,703	$838	$2,541	$1,963	$846	$2,808
Grassy Pond Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1146 Boiling Springs Highway	Gaffney	29341	Cherokee County	Cherokee 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 206-6671	519	33	15.5		325 (62.6%)	105 (20.2%)	73 (14.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.7%)	44.2	346^th of 640 public elementary schools	45.9%		56	278^th of 638 public elementary schools	56.4%	68	55.3	58.9	71.5			47.4	45.2	46.8			31.5		$4,628	$1,137	$737	$1,874	$1,909	$846	$2,754
Corinth Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	128 Corinth Road	Gaffney	29340	Cherokee County	Cherokee 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 206-6600	292	23	12.6		256 (87.7%)	7 (2.4%)	19 (6.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.1%)	76.3	146^th of 640 public elementary schools	77.2%		79.7	125^th of 638 public elementary schools	80.4%	21	75.6	65.9	75.0			66.6	68.2	70.5			50.0		$4,998	$1,328	$955	$2,283	$1,868	$846	$2,715
Draytonville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2373 Wilkinsville Highway	Gaffney	29340	Cherokee County	Cherokee 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 206-6783	264	19	13.8		163 (61.7%)	61 (23.1%)	13 (4.9%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (9.1%)	26.1	478^th of 640 public elementary schools	25.3%		39.2	387^th of 638 public elementary schools	39.3%	91	53.9	57.6	25.8			51.3	33.4	22.6			33.3		$5,675	$1,393	$1,260	$2,652	$2,177	$846	$3,023
Northwest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	840 Green River Road	Gaffney	29341	Cherokee County	Cherokee 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 206-6727	423	31	13.8		339 (80.1%)	42 (9.9%)	27 (6.4%)	5 (1.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.9%)	45.7	337^th of 640 public elementary schools	47.3%		42.2	368^th of 638 public elementary schools	42.3%	31	66.7	62.3	52.1			64.1	43.4	37.6			28.3		$4,759	$1,218	$763	$1,981	$1,931	$847	$2,778
Goucher Charter Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	604 Goucher School	Gaffney	29304	Cherokee County	Limestone Charters Association	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(864) 300-2787	244	24	10.1		208 (85.2%)	7 (2.9%)	11 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.1%)	43.7	350^th of 640 public elementary schools	45.3%					(n/a)		64.7	64.0	45.8	51.3		44.1	40.0	25.7	21.6	53.0	40.0	$16,223	$696	$1,708	$2,404	$9,916	$3,903	$13,819
Blacksburg Elementary	Public	3-5	402 Hardin Street	Blacksburg	29702	Cherokee County	Cherokee 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 206-6518	323	23	13.9		249 (77.1%)	37 (11.5%)	14 (4.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.2%)	36	409^th of 640 public elementary schools	36.1%		33.7	423^rd of 638 public elementary schools	33.7%	14	52.3	67.0	48.2			33.7	56.7	30.1			44.3		$5,284	$1,495	$703	$2,198	$2,235	$851	$3,087
Cowpens Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	341 Foster Street	Cowpens	29330	Spartanburg County	Spartanburg 03	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 279-6300	460	37	12.4		293 (63.7%)	55 (12.0%)	80 (17.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.7%)	67.9	208^th of 640 public elementary schools	67.5%		60	250^th of 638 public elementary schools	60.8%	42	65.1	63.8	79.4			68.3	55.2	63.5			43.1		$14,648	$1,064	$1,314	$2,378	$10,825	$1,444	$12,269

Frequently Asked Questions about B. D. Lee Elementary

What schools do graduates of B. D. Lee Elementary attend?

Students who attend B. D. Lee Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Gaffney Middle
High : Gaffney High

What is the racial makeup of B. D. Lee Elementary?

Students at B. D. Lee Elementary are 65% African American, 19% White, 9% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend B. D. Lee Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 603 students attended B. D. Lee Elementary.

What district is B. D. Lee Elementary in?

Cherokee 01

Is B. D. Lee Elementary a good school?

B. D. Lee Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.3% of South Carolina elementary schools.

Rate B. D. Lee Elementary!

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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.