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Great Falls Elementary

Q: Is Great Falls Elementary a good school?

Great Falls Elementary ranks 432 nd of 649 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

432^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 649 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 33% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Great Falls Elementary is a PK-5 school in Great Falls, SC, serving 335 students within the Chester 01 district, where 100% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. The school has shown a mix of strengths and challenges, with its overall state ranking slipping from the 54th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 33rd percentile in 2025-2026.

One of the school's standout strengths is upper-grade English Language Arts. In 2025-2026, 4th grade ELA proficiency reached 60.4% and 5th grade reached 63.5%, both significantly outpacing district averages (52.2% and 50.8%, respectively). The 5th grade ELA performance nearly matches the state average, which is remarkable for a school with such high economic disadvantage. However, math tells a different story—5th grade math proficiency sits at just 26.9%, a 22-point gap from the state average, and has declined steadily from 43% in 2023-2024. Science performance has been volatile, jumping from an exceptional 55% in 2024-2025 to 36.2% in 2025-2026, though still above the district. When compared to nearby Lewisville Elementary in the same district, Great Falls actually outperforms in 4th grade ELA and math, but Lewisville holds a significant edge in 5th grade math (53.1% vs. 26.9%).

Chronic absenteeism has improved dramatically from 37% in 2021-2022 to 20.8% in 2024-2025, now below both district and state rates. The school also achieves these results with relatively modest spending at $14,957 per student, compared to higher-spending schools like Fairfield Elementary ($20,896) and Fairfield Magnet for Math and Science ($24,046), yet outperforms Fairfield Elementary in nearly every subject. Areas needing attention include a growing gender gap (female students rank 37th percentile vs. 27th for males) and a concerning decline in White student performance, which fell from the 49th percentile to the 11th percentile over two years. The school's pattern of improving ELA scores but declining math scores as students progress suggests literacy instruction is effective, but math instruction may need targeted intervention to build foundational skills.

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: Declining — 47th percentile in 2016 → 33rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (47% vs 58% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school47%

District avg44%

South Carolina avg58%

432^nd of 649

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 33%▼ down 13 pts since 2016

From bottom 47% (2016) to bottom 33% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6Elementary Schools in the Chester 01

54^th 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
2026	33.1	432 of 649	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	38.0	371 of 589	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	44.4	358 of 624	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	27.1	426 of 583	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	15.2	404 of 454	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
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

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)43rd percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)37th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)27th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)11th percentile-22 vs school

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

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts58%-6 vs state

Mathematics41%-13 vs state

Science36%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Great Falls 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 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%)	33.1	432^nd of 649 public elementary schools	33.4%		36	408^th of 640 public elementary schools	36.3%	24	50.9	60.4	63.5		47.1	44.8	26.9		36.2		$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%)	42.5	376^th of 649 public elementary schools	42.1%		49.1	313^th of 640 public elementary schools	51.1%	63	45.1	50.8	62.1		54.9	52.4	59.1		36.5		$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%)	11.8	600^th of 649 public elementary schools	7.6%		13.7	571^st of 640 public elementary schools	10.8%	29	52.6	26.5	41.5		47.4	16.2	20.0		22.1		$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%)	19.4	531^st of 649 public elementary schools	18.2%		11.6	586^th of 640 public elementary schools	8.4%	55	51.7	48.1	45.7		43.1	27.0	35.1		28.9		$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%)	46.4	335^th of 649 public elementary schools	48.4%		44	347^th of 640 public elementary schools	45.8%	12	62.5	58.3	63.3		58.4	37.4	53.1		40.7		$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%)	53.3	285^th of 649 public elementary schools	56.1%		36.8	402^nd of 640 public elementary schools	37.2%	117	62.2	61.9	50.1		73.3	59.6	41.6		54.8		$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%)	43.5	366^th of 649 public elementary schools	43.6%		38.5	392^nd of 640 public elementary schools	38.8%	26	53.3	62.8	53.0		55.5	60.3	42.2		43.6		$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%)	27.2	474^th of 649 public elementary schools	27.0%		13.5	575^th of 640 public elementary schools	10.2%	101	50.0	45.8	39.2		64.0	39.6	27.4		41.7		$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%)	8.8	626^th of 649 public elementary schools	3.5%		7.8	619^th of 640 public elementary schools	3.3%	7	46.0	33.3	40.9	13.0	34.0	28.6	20.5	8.5	33.3	17.0	$20,896	$2,694	$1,601	$4,295	$13,725	$2,876	$16,601

Frequently Asked Questions about 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

How many students attend Great Falls Elementary?

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

What district is Great Falls Elementary in?

Chester 01

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 432^nd of 649 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Great Falls 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.