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Great Falls Elementary

Q: Is Great Falls Elementary a good school?

Great Falls Elementary ranks 408 th of 640 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

408^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 640 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 36% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Great Falls Elementary is a public elementary school in Great Falls, South Carolina, serving 341 students in grades PK-5 and part of the Chester 01 School District.

The school faces several challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 22.5% to 29.8% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average and surrounding schools in the Lancaster 01 district. Additionally, Great Falls Elementary's test scores in English Language Arts and Mathematics are generally lower than the state and district averages, with proficiency rates in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade ELA at 59%, 57.5%, and 45.1%, respectively, compared to the state averages of 61.8%, 63.5%, and 62.5%.

When compared to nearby schools in the Lancaster 01 district, Great Falls Elementary generally performs worse on academic metrics, despite having similar or higher per-student spending. The school's performance has also declined over the past several years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 329 out of 619 schools in 2015-2016 to 408 out of 640 schools in 2024-2025. To address these issues, the school and district should consider implementing targeted interventions, reviewing instructional practices, and exploring ways to better support student attendance and engagement.

335

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,957

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

301 Dearborn Street
Great Falls, SC 29055

(803) 482-2214

District: Chester 01

Students who attend Great Falls Elementary usually attend:

High:

Great Falls High

Racial breakdown:

White:

40.6%

African American:

37.6%

Hispanic:

13.1%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Great Falls Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 39th percentile in 2015 → 36th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (47% vs 56% meeting standards)

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

!Mathematics scores 14 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school47%

District avg42%

South Carolina avg56%

408^th of 640

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 36%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

From bottom 39% (2015) to bottom 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6Elementary Schools in the Chester 01

51^st of 75Chester 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	36.0	408 of 640	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.0	293 of 638	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.0	300 of 644	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.6	369 of 625	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.0	434 of 622	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.3	413 of 643	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	21.3	501 of 624	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	40.2	379 of 639	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	47.5	329 of 619	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	40.4	387 of 638	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	39.4	417 of 630	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	23.5	509 of 599	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	31.5	459 of 594	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	17.5	536 of 597	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	38.9	401 of 589	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	19.1	516 of 580	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	23.4	492 of 577	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	18.2	508 of 566	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	24.4	464 of 559	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	28.3	443 of 557	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	25.6	448 of 550	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	31.2	411 of 542	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	57.3	141 of 394	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.5	195 of 421	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	22.5	367 of 412	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	45.0	316 of 581	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.6	291 of 565	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.1	236 of 580	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.6	358 of 573	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.5	392 of 554	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.8	365 of 588	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.1	444 of 570	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	11.6	99 of 105	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	40.7	362 of 613	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	65.6	193 of 599	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.3	197 of 608	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.8	287 of 600	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.6	344 of 580	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.4	352 of 600	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.9	476 of 588	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	24.3	450 of 586	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.1	301 of 568	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.3	319 of 582	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.8	348 of 579	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.0	419 of 561	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.7	413 of 590	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	17.4	502 of 571	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	5.6	449 of 460	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	52.9	226 of 441	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.2	303 of 463	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.1	372 of 455	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.9	402 of 439	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.0	379 of 472	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.6	431 of 457	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2023)64th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)46th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)41st percentile+5 vs school

Male (2025)23rd percentile-13 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2023)6th percentile-48 vs school

White (2025)2nd percentile-34 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science55%+6 vs state

English Language Arts54%-9 vs state

Mathematics39%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Great Falls 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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th 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
Great Falls Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	301 Dearborn Street	Great Falls	29055	Chester County	Chester 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 482-2214	335	26	13.1		136 (40.6%)	126 (37.6%)	44 (13.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	27 (8.1%)	36	408^th of 640 public elementary schools	36.3%		54	293^rd of 638 public elementary schools	54.1%	115	59.0	57.5	45.1		48.2	41.5	25.5		55.0		$14,957	$1,682	$983	$2,664	$9,779	$2,514	$12,293
McDonald Green Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2763 Lynwood Drive	Lancaster	29720	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 285-7416	337	25	13.4		135 (40.1%)	125 (37.1%)	51 (15.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.4%)	49.1	313^th of 640 public elementary schools	51.1%		46.3	345^th of 638 public elementary schools	45.9%	32	42.8	60.0	58.6		41.3	63.1	62.1		49.3		$17,243	$1,194	$260	$1,454	$13,142	$2,648	$15,789
Erwin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1477 Locustwood Avenue	Lancaster	29720	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 285-8484	418	32	13.1		130 (31.1%)	165 (39.5%)	88 (21.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (8.1%)	13.7	571^st of 640 public elementary schools	10.8%		7.3	621^st of 638 public elementary schools	2.7%	50	32.8	22.4	40.3		45.7	26.8	34.3		22.4		$16,705	$1,417	$656	$2,072	$12,178	$2,455	$14,633
Brooklyn Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1637 Billings Drive	Lancaster	29720	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 283-8471	398	30	13.3		93 (23.4%)	178 (44.7%)	107 (26.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.8%)	11.6	586^th of 640 public elementary schools	8.4%		9.9	602^nd of 638 public elementary schools	5.6%	16	45.9	30.1	28.1		49.2	23.8	17.6		9.5		$16,109	$1,541	$294	$1,835	$11,982	$2,292	$14,274
Lewisville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4006 Lewisville High School Ro	Richburg	29729	Chester County	Chester 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 789-5164	594	41	14.6		323 (54.4%)	151 (25.4%)	56 (9.4%)	9 (1.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (8.8%)	44	347^th of 640 public elementary schools	45.8%		60.4	244^th of 638 public elementary schools	61.8%	103	54.7	58.6	66.3		52.6	43.3	49.5		34.6		$13,880	$1,538	$726	$2,264	$9,531	$2,084	$11,615
Discovery Charter of Lancaster	Public, Charter	K-5	302 West Dunlap Street	Lancaster	29720	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	Yes	No	No	No	(803) 285-8430	146	10	15.0		64 (43.8%)	47 (32.2%)	29 (19.9%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.4%)								(n/a)											$13,257	$221	$236	$458	$10,385	$2,415	$12,800
Heath Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	158 Solar Road	Heath Springs	29058	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 273-3176	297	23	13.2		191 (64.3%)	67 (22.6%)	10 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (9.8%)	36.8	402^nd of 640 public elementary schools	37.2%		26.8	467^th of 638 public elementary schools	26.8%	65	61.7	40.4	31.0		61.7	55.3	38.1		34.1		$16,355	$732	$398	$1,130	$12,722	$2,503	$15,224
North Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1100 Roddey Drive	Lancaster	29720	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 283-9918	645	43	15.0		191 (29.6%)	278 (43.1%)	121 (18.8%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (7.6%)	38.5	392^nd of 640 public elementary schools	38.8%		39.5	386^th of 638 public elementary schools	39.5%	6	60.6	37.3	55.5		58.5	38.3	44.4		39.4		$13,468	$799	$247	$1,046	$10,513	$1,909	$12,422
Clinton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	110 Clinton School Road	Lancaster	29720	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 285-5395	412	34	12.0		80 (19.4%)	238 (57.8%)	70 (17.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.8%)	13.5	575^th of 640 public elementary schools	10.2%		6.9	622^nd of 638 public elementary schools	2.5%	47	35.9	29.7	41.0		41.5	34.4	32.2		20.4		$17,848	$2,085	$575	$2,660	$12,212	$2,976	$15,188
Fairfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	175 Medley Road	Winnsboro	29180	Fairfield County	Fairfield 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 635-5594	418	37	11.2		37 (8.9%)	356 (85.2%)	14 (3.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.2%)	7.8	619^th of 640 public elementary schools	3.3%		6.1	625^th of 638 public elementary schools	2.0%	6	33.3	35.0	18.4	32.1	29.1	25.0	14.3	9.5	35.0	17.0	$20,896	$2,694	$1,601	$4,295	$13,725	$2,876	$16,601

Frequently Asked Questions about Great Falls Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Great Falls Elementary?

Students at Great Falls Elementary are 41% White, 38% African American, 13% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races.

Is Great Falls Elementary a good school?

Great Falls Elementary ranks 408^th of 640 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Great Falls Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 335 students attended Great Falls Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Great Falls Elementary attend?

Students who attend Great Falls Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Great Falls High

What district is Great Falls Elementary in?

Chester 01

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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.