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Northwest Elementary

Q: Is Northwest Elementary a good school?

Northwest Elementary ranks 304 th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

304^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 54% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Northwest Elementary in Gaffney, SC, is a PK-5 school serving 423 students within the Cherokee 01 district, where it stands out as a strong performer despite the district's overall 1-star rating.

For parents, the most encouraging news is that Northwest Elementary consistently outperforms its district peers by wide margins. In 3rd and 4th grade math and English, the school beats district averages by 12 to 21 percentage points. The school currently ranks in the 54th percentile statewide (3 stars), a significant improvement from the 40th percentile just a few years ago. One of the school's biggest strengths is attendance: only 16.2% of students are chronically absent, compared to 26.2% for the district and 22.3% statewide—a remarkable achievement given that nearly 74% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school also does exceptionally well serving male students, who rank in the 57th percentile statewide. With a favorable 13.8:1 student-teacher ratio and spending of just $4,759 per student—the lowest among nearby schools—Northwest achieves results that rival schools spending two to three times more.

The school's main challenge is a noticeable decline in upper-grade performance, particularly in 5th grade math, where proficiency has hovered around 36% for three straight years—well below the state average of 49%. This is the school's clearest opportunity for improvement. When comparing to nearby options, Northwest sits in a "middle child" position: it far outperforms district neighbors like Luther L. Vaughan Elementary (2nd percentile) and B. D. Lee Elementary (4th percentile), while trailing high-performing Spartanburg County schools like Mayo Elementary (77th percentile) and Carlisle-Foster's Grove Elementary (86th percentile). Its closest comparable is Grassy Pond Elementary, which edges it out slightly in overall rank but has higher absenteeism. For families seeking a school that maximizes its resources and builds strong early foundations, Northwest is a solid, efficient choice—with room to grow in the upper grades.

423

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$4,759

Per pupil spending ?

73.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

840 Green River Road
Gaffney, SC 29341

(864) 206-6727

District: Cherokee 01

Students who attend Northwest Elementary usually attend:

High:

Gaffney High

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.1%

African American:

9.9%

Hispanic:

6.4%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Northwest Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 40th percentile in 2023 → 54th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 54th (2026) from a 40th-percentile low (2023)

✓Above the South Carolina median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Science scores 11 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg44%

South Carolina avg58%

304^th of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 46%▼ down 13 pts since 2016

From top 33% (2016) to top 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd 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	51.6	304 of 661	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.7	337 of 639	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.2	371 of 643	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.2	385 of 644	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.6	281 of 625	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.7	233 of 622	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.6	241 of 643	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.4	231 of 624	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	62.4	223 of 639	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	65.3	207 of 619	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	59.4	222 of 638	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	58.9	271 of 630	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	59.5	262 of 599	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.1	213 of 594	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	66.5	194 of 597	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	67.1	183 of 589	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	64.2	209 of 580	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	71.6	140 of 577	75.7%	★★★★☆
2007	65.2	188 of 566	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	65.4	196 of 559	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	60.1	240 of 557	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	55.7	264 of 550	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2003	57.0	252 of 542	53.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.0	323 of 599	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.3	367 of 580	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.0	305 of 568	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.8	370 of 580	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.1	304 of 573	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.6	274 of 554	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.2	256 of 588	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.0	265 of 570	53.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	43.6	367 of 634	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.5	331 of 612	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.4	425 of 602	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.7	363 of 608	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.7	218 of 600	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.3	174 of 580	70.0%	★★★★☆
2019	55.7	278 of 600	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.8	255 of 588	56.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.9	257 of 591	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.1	283 of 585	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.2	382 of 571	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.8	345 of 582	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.6	238 of 579	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.2	153 of 561	72.7%	★★★★☆
2019	62.3	222 of 590	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.2	186 of 571	67.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.1	369 of 463	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.6	371 of 459	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.5	343 of 446	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.4	357 of 463	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.1	350 of 455	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.2	317 of 439	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.0	303 of 472	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.3	308 of 457	32.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)57th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)46th percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)42nd percentile-12 vs school

White (2026)20th percentile-34 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts63%~ state avg

Mathematics55%~ state avg

Science41%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Northwest 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 (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
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
Mayo Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 Springdale Road	Mayo	29368	Spartanburg County	Spartanburg 02	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 461-2622	328	23	14.2	75.8%	277 (84.5%)	9 (2.7%)	17 (5.2%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (7.0%)	75.5	152^nd of 661 public elementary schools	77.0%		84.7	87^th of 639 public elementary schools	86.4%	65	64.6	77.1	71.1				73.9	68.8	55.8				68.7		$13,458	$700	$1,252	$1,953	$10,232	$1,273	$11,506
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
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
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	100.0%	293 (63.7%)	55 (12.0%)	80 (17.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.7%)	63.6	235^th of 661 public elementary schools	64.4%		67.9	208^th of 639 public elementary schools	67.4%	27	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
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
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
Chesnee Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	985 Fairfield Road	Chesnee	29323	Spartanburg County	Spartanburg 02	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 461-7322	635	42	15.3	71.2%	510 (80.3%)	55 (8.7%)	17 (2.7%)	6 (0.9%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	41 (6.5%)	76.4	146^th of 661 public elementary schools	77.9%		76.7	143^rd of 639 public elementary schools	77.6%	3	68.4	78.6	72.5				65.4	72.3	57.2				63.4		$12,519	$813	$1,124	$1,937	$9,428	$1,154	$10,582
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
Cannons Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1315 Old Converse Road	Spartanburg	29307	Spartanburg County	Spartanburg 03	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 279-6100	389	32	12.1	100.0%	223 (57.3%)	83 (21.3%)	56 (14.4%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.2%)	77.8	137^th of 661 public elementary schools	79.3%		71.7	188^th of 639 public elementary schools	70.6%	51	73.5	74.6	65.1				76.4	69.0	65.1				62.1		$18,776	$2,657	$1,509	$4,167	$11,408	$3,201	$14,610

Frequently Asked Questions about Northwest Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Northwest Elementary?

Students at Northwest Elementary are 80% White, 10% African American, 6% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Northwest Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 423 students attended Northwest Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Northwest Elementary attend?

Students who attend Northwest Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Gaffney High

Is Northwest Elementary a good school?

Northwest Elementary ranks 304^th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Northwest Elementary in?

Cherokee 01

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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.