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Luther L. Vaughan Elementary

Q: Is Luther L. Vaughan Elementary a good school?

Luther L. Vaughan Elementary ranks in the bottom 1.7% of South Carolina elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Luther L. Vaughan Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 399 students attended Luther L. Vaughan Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Luther L. Vaughan Elementary?

Students at Luther L. Vaughan Elementary are 40% African American, 32% Hispanic, 25% White, 3% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Luther L. Vaughan Elementary attend?

Students who attend Luther L. Vaughan Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Gaffney Middle High : Gaffney High

Public Grades PK, KG-5

650^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Luther L. Vaughan Elementary is a PK-5 school in Gaffney, SC, serving 399 students within the Cherokee 01 school district, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This school faces significant academic challenges. Test scores are dramatically lower than nearby schools—for example, only 20.8% of 5th graders were proficient in English Language Arts in 2025-2026, compared to 74.5% at Corinth Elementary and 62.8% at Blacksburg Elementary. The math gap is even wider, with just 18.9% of 5th graders proficient versus 76.6% at Corinth and 63.9% at Cowpens Elementary. A concerning pattern shows proficiency declining as students advance: 3rd grade ELA proficiency was 39.7%, dropping to 28.9% in 4th grade and 20.8% in 5th grade. Chronic absenteeism, while improved from 47.4% in 2021-2022 to 26.2% in 2024-2025, still exceeds the state average of 22.3% and is higher than Grassy Pond Elementary (18.8%) and Northwest Elementary (16.2%).

Despite receiving more funding per student ($5,850) than any other elementary school in the district—26% more than Grassy Pond's $4,628—and maintaining a favorable 11.9:1 student-teacher ratio, outcomes remain critically low. The school holds a 0-star rating, ranking 638 out of 649 schools statewide. While it consistently outperforms B. D. Lee Elementary, located just 1.91 miles away, the achievement gap with peer schools is widening. In 2024-2025, the 5th grade ELA gap with Corinth was 42.1 percentage points; by 2025-2026, it had grown to 53.7 points. Hispanic students represent a relative bright spot, earning 1 star in 2023-2024—the only subgroup to achieve this distinction—though their ranking remains in the bottom 4th percentile statewide.

399

Students ?

11.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$5,850

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

192 Vaughan Road
Gaffney, SC 29341

(864) 206-6054

District: Cherokee 01

Students who attend Luther L. Vaughan Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Gaffney Middle
High:	Gaffney High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

40.4%

Hispanic:

31.6%

White:

25.3%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Luther L. Vaughan Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 5th percentile in 2016 → 2nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (26% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!Science scores 40 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school26%

District avg44%

South Carolina avg58%

650^th of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 3 pts since 2016

From bottom 5% (2016) to bottom 2% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Cherokee 01

57^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
2026	6.1	650 of 661	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.4	634 of 639	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.9	641 of 643	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.6	629 of 644	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.7	621 of 625	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.0	599 of 622	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.6	636 of 643	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.2	620 of 624	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	7.6	621 of 639	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.4	590 of 619	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	10.4	618 of 638	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	4.7	616 of 630	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	3.8	592 of 599	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	3.3	587 of 594	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	5.6	584 of 597	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	13.4	551 of 589	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	4.4	572 of 580	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	4.3	571 of 577	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	4.2	556 of 566	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	3.2	556 of 559	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	19.4	489 of 557	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	17.3	494 of 550	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	10.1	515 of 542	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	15.2	361 of 380	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.9	369 of 369	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	373 of 394	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.7	386 of 393	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	32.1	253 of 350	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.7	411 of 421	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.5	409 of 412	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	10.6	170 of 174	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.8	102 of 106	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.2	99 of 104	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.6	97 of 104	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.4	79 of 82	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	5.3	591 of 599	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	6.4	571 of 580	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.0	555 of 568	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.8	554 of 580	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.0	570 of 573	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.1	537 of 554	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.7	580 of 588	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.8	568 of 570	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	11.0	153 of 159	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.3	151 of 156	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.7	102 of 114	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.0	107 of 116	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.8	100 of 104	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.6	594 of 634	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.5	605 of 612	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.8	599 of 602	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.0	589 of 608	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.2	594 of 600	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.4	554 of 580	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.6	594 of 600	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.8	585 of 588	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	6.4	580 of 591	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.2	582 of 585	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.4	570 of 571	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.1	571 of 582	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.7	566 of 579	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.3	510 of 561	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.1	587 of 590	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.6	568 of 571	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	0.1	463 of 463	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)6th percentile+5 vs school

African American (2025)5th percentile+4 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)4th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)4th percentile~ school

Disabled (2023)2nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)1st percentile~ school

White (2026)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts30%-34 vs state

Mathematics26%-27 vs state

Science12%-40 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Tuesday, May 19, 2020

School has the most caring staff serving our most economically disadvantaged students. The district doesn't do much in terms of support for the local administration or staff. The teachers truly care, but aren't given much to work with. Seems like the district has it in mind to allow it to fall into disrepair in order to once again consolidate. It's really sad such wonderful students and community are treated this way. Close Quote

Schools Near Luther L. Vaughan Elementary

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Ranking:

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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
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	100.0%	101 (25.3%)	161 (40.4%)	126 (31.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.8%)	6.1	650^th of 661 public elementary schools	1.7%		4.4	634^th of 639 public elementary schools	0.8%	16	39.7	28.9	20.8				41.1	18.4	18.9				11.8		$5,850	$1,627	$818	$2,445	$2,368	$1,037	$3,405
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	100.0%	115 (19.1%)	393 (65.2%)	55 (9.1%)	10 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.0%)	8.9	638^th of 661 public elementary schools	3.5%		6.5	624^th of 639 public elementary schools	2.3%	14	41.3	29.2	45.4				32.2	15.2	30.3				17.7		$5,496	$1,653	$1,002	$2,655	$1,808	$1,032	$2,841
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	68.8%	325 (62.6%)	105 (20.2%)	73 (14.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.7%)	54.6	281^st of 661 public elementary schools	57.5%		44.2	346^th of 639 public elementary schools	45.9%	65	66.7	60.9	60.3				59.3	68.1	46.6				43.5		$4,628	$1,137	$737	$1,874	$1,909	$846	$2,754
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	100.0%	202 (46.3%)	166 (38.1%)	44 (10.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (5.0%)	13.4	603^rd of 661 public elementary schools	8.8%		18.4	538^th of 639 public elementary schools	15.8%	65	43.6	43.9	49.2				33.9	26.8	12.7				34.2		$5,349	$1,703	$838	$2,541	$1,963	$846	$2,808
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	100.0%	163 (61.7%)	61 (23.1%)	13 (4.9%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (9.1%)	26.4	487^th of 661 public elementary schools	26.3%		26.1	477^th of 639 public elementary schools	25.4%	10	38.8	46.9	61.3				59.2	40.6	12.9				31.3		$5,675	$1,393	$1,260	$2,652	$2,177	$846	$3,023
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	83.9%	256 (87.7%)	7 (2.4%)	19 (6.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.1%)	76.8	144^th of 661 public elementary schools	78.2%		76.3	146^th of 639 public elementary schools	77.2%	2	65.2	78.5	74.5				65.3	60.8	76.6				64.7		$4,998	$1,328	$955	$2,283	$1,868	$846	$2,715
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	100.0%	249 (77.1%)	37 (11.5%)	14 (4.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.2%)	28	473^rd of 661 public elementary schools	28.4%		36	408^th of 639 public elementary schools	36.2%	65	45.0	58.6	62.8				40.0	31.7	36.6				37.5		$5,284	$1,495	$703	$2,198	$2,235	$851	$3,087
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	73.6%	339 (80.1%)	42 (9.9%)	27 (6.4%)	5 (1.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.9%)	51.6	304^th of 661 public elementary schools	54.0%		45.7	337^th of 639 public elementary schools	47.3%	33	62.9	67.1	57.2				64.3	59.2	36.7				40.7		$4,759	$1,218	$763	$1,981	$1,931	$847	$2,778
Goucher Charter Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	604 Goucher School	Gaffney	29340	Cherokee County	Limestone Charters Association	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(864) 210-9262	244	24	10.1	63.8%	208 (85.2%)	7 (2.9%)	11 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.1%)	42.6	380^th of 661 public elementary schools	42.5%		43.7	350^th of 639 public elementary schools	45.2%	30	66.7		70.0	47.0	44.2	45.9	66.6		36.7	20.6	17.7	16.2		41.2	$16,223	$696	$1,708	$2,404	$9,916	$3,903	$13,819
Blacksburg Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	1010 East Cherokee Street	Blacksburg	29702	Cherokee County	Cherokee 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 206-6936	363	24	15.2	100.0%	273 (75.2%)	38 (10.5%)	20 (5.5%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (8.3%)								(n/a)															$5,370	$1,913	$627	$2,540	$1,983	$846	$2,829

Frequently Asked Questions about Luther L. Vaughan Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Luther L. Vaughan Elementary?

Students at Luther L. Vaughan Elementary are 40% African American, 32% Hispanic, 25% White, 3% Two or more races.

How many students attend Luther L. Vaughan Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 399 students attended Luther L. Vaughan Elementary.

Is Luther L. Vaughan Elementary a good school?

Luther L. Vaughan Elementary ranks in the bottom 1.7% of South Carolina elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Luther L. Vaughan Elementary attend?

Students who attend Luther L. Vaughan Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Gaffney Middle
High : Gaffney High

What district is Luther L. Vaughan Elementary in?

Cherokee 01

Rate Luther L. Vaughan Elementary!

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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.