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Bells Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

510^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 649 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 21% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Bells Elementary is a small, rural PK-5 school in Ruffin, SC, serving 249 students within the Colleton 01 school district, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

The most encouraging news for parents is that Bells Elementary is showing real signs of improvement. After a difficult period, the school's overall state ranking jumped from the 9th percentile to the 21st percentile in the most recent school year. This progress is especially strong in English Language Arts, where 3rd and 5th graders are now scoring close to the state average. For example, 5th-grade reading proficiency reached 50%, compared to the state average of 63.6%. However, math remains a clear area of concern—all grade levels score more than 20 percentage points below the state average, with the exception of a notable bright spot in 4th grade, where 40% of students are proficient, outpacing the district's 27.3%. The school also invests heavily in its students, spending $18,199 per child and maintaining a low student-teacher ratio of 11.8, which is the best among its district peers.

One of the biggest challenges facing Bells is chronic absenteeism. In the last school year, 39.1% of students were chronically absent—nearly double the state average of 22.3%. This is a critical issue because it directly impacts learning. By comparison, nearby Brunson Elementary in the Hampton district has an absenteeism rate of just 10.1% and performs in the 60th-87th percentile statewide. Similarly, Lockett Elementary in the Orangeburg district achieves a 4th-grade math proficiency rate of 88.9% while spending less per student. There is also a growing gender gap, with the school serving its female students significantly better than its male students. While the recent gains are promising, parents should know that consistent attendance and a renewed focus on math will be key to sustaining this upward trajectory.

249

Students ?

11.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,199

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

12088 Bells Highway
Ruffin, SC 29475

(843) 782-0012

District: Colleton 01

Students who attend Bells Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Colleton County Middle
High:	Colleton County High

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.0%

African American:

41.4%

Hispanic:

9.6%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Bells Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 14th percentile in 2016 → 21st in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2016

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Colleton 01

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (41% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (39% vs 22% South Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school41%

District avg35%

South Carolina avg58%

510^th of 649

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 21%▲ up 8 pts since 2016

From bottom 14% (2016) to bottom 21% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 5Elementary Schools in the Colleton 01

73^rd of 75Colleton 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	22.9	510 of 649	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.8	525 of 640	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.0	578 of 638	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.9	599 of 644	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.8	539 of 625	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.3	585 of 622	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.0	591 of 643	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.5	582 of 624	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	22.0	519 of 639	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.8	535 of 619	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	20.2	562 of 638	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	13.0	592 of 630	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	24.6	503 of 599	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	29.5	473 of 594	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	24.3	500 of 597	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	29.7	469 of 589	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	19.5	512 of 580	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	14.0	533 of 577	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	18.1	509 of 566	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	21.7	482 of 559	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	27.6	447 of 557	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	35.8	390 of 550	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	30.4	416 of 542	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	28.8	296 of 381	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	347 of 369	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.3	367 of 394	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.3	350 of 350	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.4	397 of 421	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.0	375 of 589	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.1	427 of 581	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.4	516 of 565	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.3	537 of 580	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.3	531 of 573	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.8	552 of 554	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.3	539 of 588	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.8	456 of 624	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.3	460 of 613	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.3	548 of 599	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.5	560 of 608	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.4	511 of 600	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.3	542 of 580	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.8	571 of 600	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.0	537 of 588	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.0	497 of 583	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.4	522 of 586	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.7	522 of 568	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.5	529 of 582	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.9	470 of 579	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	6.5	544 of 561	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.7	545 of 590	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.7	516 of 571	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	1.8	456 of 460	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.2	465 of 472	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2026)36th percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)27th percentile+6 vs school

African American (2025)22nd percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)15th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)1st percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts53%-11 vs state

Mathematics33%-21 vs state

Science31%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bells 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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Science 4th 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
Bells Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12088 Bells Highway	Ruffin	29475	Colleton County	Colleton 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 782-0012	249	21	11.8		112 (45.0%)	103 (41.4%)	24 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.6%)	22.9	510^th of 649 public elementary schools	21.4%		20.8	525^th of 640 public elementary schools	18.0%	15	48.5	60.0	50.0	31.5	40.0	27.1	31.1	$18,199	$2,635	$2,047	$4,682	$11,181	$2,337	$13,518
Libertas Academy-Colleton	Public, Charter	K-4	858 Bells Hwy	Walterboro	29488	Colleton County	Charter Institute at Erskine	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(803) 849-2464	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Forest Hills Elementary	Public	1-5	633 Hiers Corner Road	Walterboro	29488	Colleton County	Colleton 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 782-4512	472	38	12.4		167 (35.4%)	231 (48.9%)	44 (9.3%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.3%)	13.4	590^th of 649 public elementary schools	9.1%		21.6	516^th of 640 public elementary schools	19.4%	74	34.4	46.2	48.2	27.6	23.4	34.1	30.3	$16,533	$2,580	$2,027	$4,608	$9,513	$2,412	$11,925
Black Street Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	256 Smith Street	Walterboro	29488	Colleton County	Colleton 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 782-4516	358	25	14.3		114 (31.8%)	171 (47.8%)	35 (9.8%)	3 (0.8%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (8.9%)								(n/a)								$26,046	$3,652	$2,022	$5,674	$17,414	$2,957	$20,371
Northside Elementary	Public	1-5	1929 Industrial Road	Walterboro	29488	Colleton County	Colleton 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 782-0015	428	29	14.7		164 (38.3%)	217 (50.7%)	26 (6.1%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.2%)	15.3	578^th of 649 public elementary schools	10.9%		19.3	534^th of 640 public elementary schools	16.6%	44	40.3	50.6	47.7	37.7	24.7	34.5	18.5	$15,966	$2,650	$1,839	$4,489	$8,872	$2,605	$11,477
Hendersonville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6089 Hendersonville Highway	Walterboro	29488	Colleton County	Colleton 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 782-0027	324	24	13.5		74 (22.8%)	216 (66.7%)	20 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.1%)	8.7	627^th of 649 public elementary schools	3.4%		10.4	598^th of 640 public elementary schools	6.6%	29	42.9	50.0	25.6	23.3	25.6	17.1	25.0	$17,828	$3,129	$2,061	$5,189	$9,824	$2,815	$12,639
Varnville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	395 Pine Street East	Varnville	29944	Hampton County	Hampton	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 943-2376	251	19	13.5		69 (27.5%)	149 (59.4%)	20 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.2%)	21.5	519^th of 649 public elementary schools	20.0%					(n/a)	50.0	53.2		44.4	23.5		37.5	$16,629	$1,538	$1,160	$2,698	$11,753	$2,178	$13,931
Ben Hazel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	628 Railroad Avenue West	Hampton	29924	Hampton County	Hampton	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 943-3659	222	17	13.4		77 (34.7%)	116 (52.3%)	13 (5.9%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.9%)	45.6	342^nd of 649 public elementary schools	47.3%					(n/a)	65.9	77.2		53.7	34.3		34.2	$18,301	$2,140	$1,141	$3,282	$12,830	$2,189	$15,019
Lockett Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1349 Dorange Road	Branchville	29432	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg	No	No	No	No	(803) 274-8588	239	17	14.3		163 (68.2%)	63 (26.4%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.3%)	4 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.1%)	84.6	87^th of 649 public elementary schools	86.6%		80.6	111^th of 640 public elementary schools	82.7%	24	61.1	81.4	75.6	80.6	88.9	75.6	88.8	$14,651	$447	$827	$1,274	$11,456	$1,921	$13,377
Fennell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	131 Yemassee Highway	Yemassee	29945	Hampton County	Hampton	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 398-5591	140	11	12.5		19 (13.6%)	98 (70.0%)	13 (9.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (7.1%)								(n/a)								$20,064	$1,615	$1,324	$2,938	$13,856	$3,269	$17,125

Frequently Asked Questions about Bells Elementary

What district is Bells Elementary in?

Colleton 01

What schools do graduates of Bells Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bells Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Colleton County Middle
High : Colleton County High

Is Bells Elementary a good school?

Bells Elementary ranks in the bottom 21.4% of South Carolina elementary schools.

How many students attend Bells Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 249 students attended Bells Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Bells Elementary?

Students at Bells Elementary are 45% White, 41% African American, 10% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

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Schools in Ruffin, SC

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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.