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Limestone-Central Elementary

Q: Is Limestone-Central Elementary a good school?

Limestone-Central Elementary ranks in the bottom 8.9% of South Carolina elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Limestone-Central Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 436 students attended Limestone-Central Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Limestone-Central Elementary?

Students at Limestone-Central Elementary are 46% White, 38% African American, 10% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Limestone-Central Elementary attend?

Students who attend Limestone-Central Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Gaffney High

Public Grades PK, KG-5

591^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 649 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 9% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Limestone-Central Elementary is a PK-5 school in Gaffney, SC, serving 436 students within the Cherokee 01 district. Over the past decade, the school has seen a steady decline in its state ranking, falling from the 37th percentile in 2015-2016 to the 9th percentile in 2025-2026—a dramatic drop that places it among the lowest-performing elementary schools in the state.

The most pressing concern is math proficiency, particularly in upper grades. In 2025-2026, only 12.7% of 5th graders were proficient in math, compared to 34.4% district-wide and 49.1% statewide. This is far below nearby schools like Grassy Pond Elementary (46.6%) and Northwest Elementary (36.7%). English Language Arts performance is stronger—ranging from 43.6% to 49.2% proficiency—but still trails state averages. Chronic absenteeism is another red flag: 30.6% of students are chronically absent, well above the district (26.2%) and state (22.3%) averages, and significantly higher than Blacksburg Elementary (19.5%) and Grassy Pond Elementary (18.8%). Notably, the school spends more per student ($5,349) than higher-performing neighbors like Grassy Pond Elementary ($4,628) and Northwest Elementary ($4,759), yet outcomes are far worse—suggesting resource allocation, not funding, is the issue.

A bright spot for comparison is Corinth Elementary, just 3 miles away, which ranks in the 78th percentile (4 stars) with proficiency rates in the 60-76% range across all subjects. Both schools serve similar demographics within the same district, proving that improvement is possible. The school's Gifted and Talented students rank in the 0th percentile statewide, indicating a possible issue with identification or enrichment. With targeted interventions in math and attendance, and lessons to be learned from Corinth Elementary, Limestone-Central has a clear path forward—but urgent action is needed.

436

Students ?

13.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$5,349

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

727 Pacolet Highway
Gaffney, SC 29341

(864) 206-6620

District: Cherokee 01

Students who attend Limestone-Central Elementary usually attend:

High:

Gaffney High

Racial breakdown:

White:

46.3%

African American:

38.1%

Hispanic:

10.1%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Limestone-Central Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 37th percentile in 2016 → 9th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (35% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 22% South Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school35%

District avg44%

South Carolina avg58%

591^st of 649

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 9%▼ down 29 pts since 2016

From bottom 37% (2016) to bottom 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^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	13.4	591 of 649	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.4	539 of 640	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.0	599 of 638	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.0	574 of 644	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.0	517 of 625	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.6	406 of 622	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.2	440 of 643	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.9	429 of 624	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	40.0	384 of 639	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	39.2	387 of 619	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	41.5	376 of 638	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	45.2	379 of 630	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	41.1	386 of 599	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	30.0	471 of 594	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	32.0	457 of 597	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	38.9	400 of 589	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	41.3	378 of 580	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	30.2	454 of 577	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	35.9	414 of 566	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	36.4	399 of 559	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	46.8	332 of 557	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2004	55.1	269 of 550	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2003	55.4	269 of 542	50.4%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.5	347 of 379	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	33.3	272 of 381	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.8	352 of 369	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.4	380 of 394	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.4	364 of 393	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	51.0	151 of 350	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.2	302 of 421	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	46.4	223 of 412	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.0	518 of 589	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.3	499 of 581	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.7	525 of 565	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.3	538 of 580	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.2	512 of 573	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.7	407 of 554	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.1	463 of 588	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.7	371 of 570	34.9%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	0.0	91 of 91	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	1.7	99 of 101	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	0.0	82 of 82	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.2	102 of 105	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	0.0	109 of 109	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.2	539 of 624	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.7	497 of 613	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	568 of 599	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.2	573 of 608	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.0	490 of 600	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	42.6	341 of 580	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.8	408 of 600	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.7	377 of 588	35.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	11.0	544 of 583	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.9	503 of 586	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.3	541 of 568	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.5	520 of 582	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.0	454 of 579	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.9	354 of 561	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.9	381 of 590	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.3	428 of 571	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	5.7	440 of 454	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.7	434 of 460	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.3	430 of 441	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.1	451 of 463	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.0	433 of 455	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	27.0	337 of 439	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.3	376 of 472	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.2	407 of 457	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)14th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)12th percentile+3 vs school

African American (2026)8th percentile~ school

Male (2026)7th percentile~ school

White (2026)3rd percentile-6 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)<1st percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts45%-19 vs state

Science34%-17 vs state

Mathematics25%-29 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, November 8, 2019

Majority of the teachers here are impatient, show favoritism, refuse to help children who need extra help, and some are even dishonest. Teachers here speak to their students as if they are less than human. These teachers are not held accountable for their actions, and place the blame on the children for their shortcomings. If your child doesn’t not learn audibly or at least visually it will be extremely difficult for them to succeed at this school. Close Quote

Schools Near Limestone-Central Elementary

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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	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
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%)	13.4	591^st of 649 public elementary schools	8.9%		18.4	539^th of 640 public elementary schools	15.8%	52	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
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%)	8.9	625^th of 649 public elementary schools	3.7%		6.5	625^th of 640 public elementary schools	2.3%		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
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%)	76.9	142^nd of 649 public elementary schools	78.1%		76.3	146^th of 640 public elementary schools	77.2%	4	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
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%)	6	638^th of 649 public elementary schools	1.7%		4.4	635^th of 640 public elementary schools	0.8%	3	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
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%)	42.7	374^th of 649 public elementary schools	42.4%		43.7	350^th of 640 public elementary schools	45.3%	24	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
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%)	26.5	480^th of 649 public elementary schools	26.0%		26.1	478^th of 640 public elementary schools	25.3%	2	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
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%)	54.7	275^th of 649 public elementary schools	57.6%		44.2	346^th of 640 public elementary schools	45.9%	71	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
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%)	51.7	298^th of 649 public elementary schools	54.1%		45.7	337^th of 640 public elementary schools	47.3%	39	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
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%)	63.8	229^th of 649 public elementary schools	64.7%		67.9	208^th of 640 public elementary schools	67.5%	21	66.3	67.7	69.4				61.1	54.4	63.9				51.4		$14,648	$1,064	$1,314	$2,378	$10,825	$1,444	$12,269
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%)	28.1	466^th of 649 public elementary schools	28.2%		36	409^th of 640 public elementary schools	36.1%	57	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

Frequently Asked Questions about Limestone-Central Elementary

What district is Limestone-Central Elementary in?

Cherokee 01

Is Limestone-Central Elementary a good school?

Limestone-Central Elementary ranks in the bottom 8.9% of South Carolina elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Limestone-Central Elementary attend?

Students who attend Limestone-Central Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Gaffney High

How many students attend Limestone-Central Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 436 students attended Limestone-Central Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Limestone-Central Elementary?

Students at Limestone-Central Elementary are 46% White, 38% African American, 10% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

Rate Limestone-Central Elementary!

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresNewAug 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.