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Forest Hills Elementary

Public Grades 1-5

590^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 649 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 9% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Forest Hills Elementary in Walterboro, SC, serves 472 students in grades 1 through 5 within the Colleton 01 school district, a high-poverty community where all students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Forest Hills faces significant academic challenges, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts ranging from 34.4% in 3rd grade to 48.2% in 5th grade, and math proficiency between 23.4% and 34.1%—both well below state averages. The school's overall state ranking has declined recently, dropping from the 19th percentile to the 9th percentile. One of the most pressing concerns is chronic absenteeism: 39.8% of students miss 10% or more of the school year, nearly double the state average of 22.3%. This persistent issue has remained stubbornly high for four years and directly impacts learning. There is also a notable gender gap, with male students ranking in the 18th percentile statewide while female students rank in the 4th percentile—a gap that has widened over time. Despite these challenges, the school maintains a favorable student-to-teacher ratio of 12.4:1 and spends $16,533 per student, which is higher than many schools achieving better results.

Forest Hills does have some bright spots. In 5th-grade ELA, 48.2% of students are proficient, which is above the district average and the highest among district elementary schools, including Cottageville Elementary (46.9%) and Northside Elementary (47.7%). The school also outperforms the district in 4th-grade science, achieving 30.3% proficiency compared to the district's 25.3%. While Forest Hills ranks in the 9th percentile statewide, it is actually one of the better-performing schools in the Colleton 01 district, outperforming Hendersonville Elementary and Cottageville Elementary. A comparison to Williams Memorial Elementary, just 19 miles away in Dorchester 04, shows that a school with similar demographics can achieve significantly better outcomes, suggesting improvement is possible with targeted interventions around attendance and instructional quality.

472

Students ?

12.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,533

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

633 Hiers Corner Road
Walterboro, SC 29488

(843) 782-4512

District: Colleton 01

Students who attend Forest Hills Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Colleton County Middle
High:	Colleton County High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

48.9%

White:

35.4%

Hispanic:

9.3%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Forest Hills Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 35th 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 (40% vs 22% South Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school35%

District avg35%

South Carolina avg58%

590^th of 649

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 9%▼ down 26 pts since 2016

From bottom 35% (2016) to bottom 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd 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	13.4	590 of 649	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	21.6	516 of 640	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.5	537 of 638	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.8	576 of 644	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	540 of 625	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.7	509 of 622	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.4	575 of 643	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.5	533 of 624	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	35.3	421 of 639	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	36.6	402 of 619	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	38.5	403 of 638	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	32.0	469 of 630	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	38.0	403 of 599	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	50.4	338 of 594	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	54.4	295 of 597	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	36.0	423 of 589	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	37.7	402 of 580	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	27.5	474 of 577	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	29.3	453 of 566	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	33.7	417 of 559	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	31.4	425 of 557	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	29.3	430 of 550	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	23.2	456 of 542	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.2	355 of 379	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	26.7	309 of 381	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.9	297 of 369	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	360 of 394	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.9	365 of 393	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.9	312 of 350	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.8	402 of 421	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.1	383 of 412	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	18.7	148 of 161	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	8.9	566 of 589	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.9	515 of 581	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.2	512 of 565	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.0	510 of 580	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.8	457 of 573	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.8	462 of 554	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.9	542 of 588	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.0	510 of 570	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	14.8	576 of 624	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	27.3	470 of 613	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.0	498 of 599	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.9	556 of 608	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.6	552 of 600	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.2	497 of 580	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.0	546 of 600	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.7	531 of 588	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.7	480 of 583	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.8	434 of 586	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.5	443 of 568	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.0	543 of 582	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.2	538 of 579	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.6	486 of 561	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.6	533 of 590	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.7	488 of 571	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	17.5	395 of 454	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.1	371 of 460	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.5	372 of 441	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.9	440 of 463	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	412 of 455	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.2	367 of 439	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.1	444 of 472	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.3	400 of 457	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)18th percentile+9 vs school

White (2026)13th percentile+4 vs school

Disabled (2018)8th percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)8th percentile~ school

African American (2026)6th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)4th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts43%-22 vs state

Science30%-21 vs state

Mathematics29%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Forest Hills 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 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
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	100.0%	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
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)
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	100.0%	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	100.0%	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	100.0%	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
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	100.0%	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
Cottageville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	648 Peirce Road	Cottageville	29435	Colleton County	Colleton 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 782-4528	425	34	12.5	100.0%	200 (47.1%)	133 (31.3%)	37 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (11.8%)	11.6	602^nd of 649 public elementary schools	7.2%		10	601^st of 640 public elementary schools	6.1%	1	36.6	44.0	46.9	26.4	28.0	28.6	24.0	$15,630	$2,365	$1,935	$4,300	$8,716	$2,614	$11,330
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	100.0%	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
Williams Memorial Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	290 South Metts Street	Saint George	29477	Dorchester County	Dorchester 04	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 563-3231	553	42	13.1	100.0%	224 (40.5%)	244 (44.1%)	29 (5.2%)	8 (1.4%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.5%)	43 (7.8%)	38.4	403^rd of 649 public elementary schools	37.9%		40.5	374^th of 640 public elementary schools	41.6%	29	55.1	60.4	62.5	44.9	43.8	37.5	45.9	$16,841	$1,811	$1,030	$2,841	$11,832	$2,168	$14,000

Frequently Asked Questions about Forest Hills Elementary

What district is Forest Hills Elementary in?

Colleton 01

What is the racial makeup of Forest Hills Elementary?

Students at Forest Hills Elementary are 49% African American, 35% White, 9% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

Is Forest Hills Elementary a good school?

Forest Hills Elementary ranks in the bottom 9.1% of South Carolina elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Forest Hills Elementary attend?

Students who attend Forest Hills Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Colleton County Middle
High : Colleton County High

How many students attend Forest Hills Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 472 students attended Forest Hills Elementary.

Rate Forest Hills Elementary!

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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.