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Carolina Elementary

Q: Is Carolina Elementary a good school?

Carolina Elementary ranks 157 th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

157^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 76% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Carolina Elementary is a small school in Hartsville, SC, serving 212 students in grades 1-5 within the Darlington 01 district, and it has become a standout academic performer despite serving a student population where 100% qualify for free or reduced lunch.

In the 2025-2026 school year, Carolina Elementary ranked 155th out of 649 elementary schools statewide, earning a 4-star rating and placing it in the 76th percentile. This is a significant achievement when compared to nearby schools in the same district: North Hartsville Elementary ranks 257th, Lamar-Spaulding Elementary ranks 360th, and Thornwell School for the Arts, located just half a mile away, ranks 438th. The school's 4th grade mathematics performance is particularly remarkable, with 85% of students scoring proficient—a staggering 32.7 points above the state average and 34.5 points above the district average. Science scores in 4th grade are equally impressive at 77.5% proficiency, outpacing the state by nearly 26 points.

Perhaps the most defining characteristic of Carolina Elementary is its exceptional attendance record. The chronic absenteeism rate is just 5.8%, which is four times lower than the district average of 23.4% and dramatically better than nearby schools like Pate Elementary (39.1%) and Bay Road Elementary (24.6%). The school also invests more per student ($19,903) than most peers, with a favorable 12.7:1 student-teacher ratio. While the school shows a notable gender gap—female students rank in the 88th percentile statewide compared to 56th for males—the overall trajectory is positive. Carolina Elementary is rebuilding toward its mid-2010s status as one of the top elementary schools in South Carolina, and its combination of strong attendance, high investment, and academic gains makes it a compelling choice for families in the Hartsville area.

212

Students ?

12.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,903

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

719 West Carolina Avenue
Hartsville, SC 29550

(843) 857-3230

District: Darlington 01

Students who attend Carolina Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Hartsville Middle
High:	Hartsville High

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.8%

African American:

20.8%

Two or more races:

9.0%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Carolina Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 64th percentile in 2024 → 76th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Carolina average (71% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 24% of South Carolina elementary schools

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 76th (2026) from a 64th-percentile low (2024)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school71%

District avg51%

South Carolina avg58%

157^th of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 24%▼ down 19 pts since 2016

From top 5% (2016) to top 24% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 8Elementary Schools in the Darlington 01

45^th of 75Darlington 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	75.2	157 of 661	76.2%	★★★★☆
2025	70.1	195 of 639	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.2	230 of 643	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.3	205 of 644	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.6	223 of 625	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.0	185 of 622	70.3%	★★★★☆
2019	76.9	136 of 643	78.8%	★★★★☆
2018	83.8	87 of 624	86.1%	★★★★☆
2017	89.3	44 of 639	93.1%	★★★★★
2016	90.6	32 of 619	94.8%	★★★★★
2015	93.4	20 of 638	96.9%	★★★★★
2014	81.8	74 of 630	88.3%	★★★★☆
2013	83.7	58 of 599	90.3%	★★★★★
2012	80.7	80 of 594	86.5%	★★★★☆
2011	76.6	110 of 597	81.6%	★★★★☆
2010	60.0	242 of 589	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	73.6	137 of 580	76.4%	★★★★☆
2008	83.1	54 of 577	90.6%	★★★★★
2007	79.9	84 of 566	85.2%	★★★★☆
2006	63.4	221 of 559	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2005	71.8	140 of 557	74.9%	★★★★☆
2004	60.8	223 of 550	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2003	65.7	187 of 542	65.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	84.1	73 of 599	87.8%	★★★★☆
2025	78.8	107 of 580	81.6%	★★★★☆
2024	65.4	188 of 568	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.5	224 of 580	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	79.2	113 of 588	80.8%	★★★★☆
2018	92.0	35 of 570	93.9%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.2	190 of 634	70.0%	★★★★☆
2025	65.7	181 of 612	70.4%	★★★★☆
2024	51.4	291 of 602	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.9	334 of 608	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.2	500 of 600	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	55.8	249 of 580	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.5	211 of 600	64.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.6	259 of 591	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.4	286 of 585	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.5	250 of 571	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.5	230 of 579	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	77.6	111 of 561	80.2%	★★★★☆
2019	70.7	163 of 590	72.4%	★★★★☆
2018	72.2	141 of 571	75.3%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.3	135 of 463	70.8%	★★★★☆
2025	68.0	148 of 459	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.1	206 of 446	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.3	202 of 463	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.5	227 of 455	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.3	162 of 439	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.5	108 of 472	77.1%	★★★★☆
2018	79.8	80 of 457	82.5%	★★★★☆

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)88th percentile+12 vs school

White (2026)71st percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)70th percentile-6 vs school

Male (2026)56th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science78%+26 vs state

Mathematics71%+17 vs state

English Language Arts69%+4 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

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1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Thursday, September 24, 2015

my son was in this school in 1st grad and he was really happy to learn play and he was felling great at that place, really good teacher and management.but he is in Washington street elementary school which is my bad decision ever mad,e i just decide to put my son in private school, i prefer not to put him in Washington elementary school. Close Quote

Schools Near Carolina 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 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
Carolina Elementary	Public	K-5	719 West Carolina Avenue	Hartsville	29550	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 857-3230	212	17	12.7	100.0%	129 (60.8%)	44 (20.8%)	17 (8.0%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (9.0%)	75.2	157^th of 661 public elementary schools	76.2%		70.1	195^th of 639 public elementary schools	69.5%	38	58.3	77.5	70.9		60.4	85.0	69.1		77.5		$19,903	$4,158	$1,181	$5,339	$12,660	$1,903	$14,564
Thornwell School for the Arts	Public, Magnet	K-5	437 West Carolina Avenue	Hartsville	29550	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 857-3090	188	19	9.8	100.0%	29 (15.4%)	122 (64.9%)	9 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (14.9%)	32.4	444^th of 661 public elementary schools	32.8%		17.2	546^th of 639 public elementary schools	14.6%	102	51.0	58.5	51.6		41.5	58.5	29.0		41.5		$21,716	$2,071	$1,555	$3,626	$15,553	$2,537	$18,090
Southside Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	1615 Blanding Drive	Hartsville	29550	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 383-3310	360	32	11.1	100.0%	124 (34.4%)	183 (50.8%)	20 (5.6%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (7.5%)								(n/a)											$18,157	$1,510	$1,339	$2,849	$13,800	$1,509	$15,309
Bay Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1251 Bay Road	Hartsville	29550	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 398-6300	563	40	14.0	100.0%	195 (34.6%)	283 (50.3%)	35 (6.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (8.5%)	30.1	461^st of 661 public elementary schools	30.3%		33.8	426^th of 639 public elementary schools	33.3%	35	52.0	56.3	50.4		49.1	48.5	34.5		33.0		$15,999	$2,709	$1,475	$4,184	$10,374	$1,441	$11,815
North Hartsville Elementary	Public	K-5	110 School Drive	Hartsville	29550	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 383-3115	486	33	14.7	100.0%	306 (63.0%)	93 (19.1%)	29 (6.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (11.5%)	57.9	263^rd of 661 public elementary schools	60.2%		39.7	382^nd of 639 public elementary schools	40.2%	119	70.1	64.9	61.1		58.7	51.5	52.7		53.7		$16,846	$2,395	$1,238	$3,632	$11,672	$1,542	$13,213
Black Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	2225 Leavensworth Road	Darlington	29540	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(843) 398-5100	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	45.8	346^th of 661 public elementary schools	47.7%					(n/a)	54.4	59.8	56.9		59.7	51.1	45.0		50.0
Plainview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	16002 Highway 102	Patrick	29584	Chesterfield County	Chesterfield 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 498-6633	168	14	12.0	100.0%	156 (92.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.6%)	30.2	458^th of 661 public elementary schools	30.7%		29.5	453^rd of 639 public elementary schools	29.1%	5		63.6		41.6		45.4		25.0	36.3	33.3	$14,956	$961	$1,204	$2,165	$10,702	$2,089	$12,791
McBee Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	284 E. Maple Ave	Mc Bee	29101	Chesterfield County	Chesterfield 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 335-8347	349	30	11.6	100.0%	230 (65.9%)	62 (17.8%)	44 (12.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.7%)	29.9	463^rd of 661 public elementary schools	30.0%		35.6	412^th of 639 public elementary schools	35.5%	51	55.1	53.9	62.3		36.8	34.6	45.3		27.0		$15,844	$1,422	$1,100	$2,521	$11,833	$1,489	$13,322
Pate Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	1010 Indian Branch Road	Darlington	29532	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 398-5070	397	29	13.8	100.0%	94 (23.7%)	233 (58.7%)	26 (6.5%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	39 (9.8%)								(n/a)											$16,034	$2,394	$1,444	$3,839	$10,736	$1,460	$12,196
Lamar-Spaulding Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5232 Lamar Highway 401	Lamar	29069	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 398-6370	496	31	16.0	100.0%	185 (37.3%)	265 (53.4%)	12 (2.4%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.3%)	43.8	366^th of 661 public elementary schools	44.6%		48.7	316^th of 639 public elementary schools	50.5%	50	44.8	73.4	50.7		46.3	64.5	31.9		50.7		$15,467	$1,826	$1,221	$3,047	$10,932	$1,488	$12,420

Frequently Asked Questions about Carolina Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Carolina Elementary?

Students at Carolina Elementary are 61% White, 21% African American, 9% Two or more races, 8% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Carolina Elementary attend?

Students who attend Carolina Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hartsville Middle
High : Hartsville High

Is Carolina Elementary a good school?

Carolina Elementary ranks 157^th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Carolina Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 212 students attended Carolina Elementary.

What district is Carolina Elementary in?

Darlington 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.