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St. John's Elementary

Q: Is St. John's Elementary a good school?

St. John's Elementary ranks 446 th of 640 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

446^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 640 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

St. John's Elementary is a public elementary school in Darlington, South Carolina, serving 567 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Darlington 01 School District. While the school has seen a steady increase in per-student spending, from $12,514 in 2020-2021 to $16,893 in 2023-2024, it has consistently underperformed compared to state and district averages in standardized test scores for English Language Arts and Mathematics.

St. John's Elementary has faced challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 22.5% to 29.3% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages. When compared to nearby schools within the same district, such as Pate Elementary and J.L. Cain Elementary, St. John's Elementary performs similarly or slightly worse in terms of academic achievement and other key metrics. However, when compared to schools in the neighboring Florence 01 district, such as Delmae Heights Elementary and Royall Elementary, St. John's Elementary lags significantly behind in academic performance.

Despite these challenges, the school's relatively high per-student spending and the strong performance of its African American student subgroup suggest that there may be opportunities to implement targeted interventions and strategies to improve overall academic outcomes and address the needs of all student subgroups. However, the school has experienced a decline in its statewide ranking over the past several years, dropping from 373 out of 638 schools in 2014-2015 to 446 out of 640 schools in 2024-2025, indicating that it is not keeping pace with improvements in other schools across the state.

596

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,078

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

140 Park Street
Darlington, SC 29532

(843) 398-5130

District: Darlington 01

Students who attend St. John's Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Darlington Middle
High:	Darlington High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

51.7%

White:

32.7%

Two or more races:

9.7%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare St. John's Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 42nd percentile in 2015 → 30th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (44% vs 56% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (33% vs 22% South Carolina)

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg48%

South Carolina avg56%

446^th of 640

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From bottom 42% (2015) to bottom 30% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Darlington 01

47^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
2025	30.5	446 of 640	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.9	406 of 638	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.6	484 of 644	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.8	462 of 625	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.3	432 of 622	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.1	391 of 643	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.5	479 of 624	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.4	534 of 639	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	39.5	383 of 619	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	41.6	373 of 638	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	50.7	343 of 630	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	45.2	358 of 599	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	56.0	293 of 594	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	52.6	321 of 597	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	59.3	250 of 589	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	46.2	340 of 580	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	45.9	349 of 577	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	47.2	337 of 566	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	44.0	355 of 559	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2005	39.0	382 of 557	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2004	25.7	447 of 550	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	27.9	429 of 542	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	46.6	205 of 381	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.5	136 of 369	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.5	243 of 394	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.8	265 of 393	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.5	189 of 350	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.2	272 of 421	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.3	363 of 412	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	35.2	100 of 161	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	24.7	451 of 581	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.7	417 of 565	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.7	437 of 580	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.6	413 of 573	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.7	421 of 554	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.5	407 of 588	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	17.3	495 of 570	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	37.2	398 of 613	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.6	320 of 599	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.0	467 of 608	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.2	469 of 600	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.9	422 of 580	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.2	358 of 600	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.2	483 of 588	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	36.7	371 of 586	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.1	342 of 568	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.9	461 of 582	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.5	446 of 579	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.0	375 of 561	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.7	341 of 590	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.4	400 of 571	29.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	26.2	364 of 460	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.2	313 of 441	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.4	343 of 463	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	47.5	259 of 455	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.4	290 of 439	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.0	310 of 472	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.5	363 of 457	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)46th percentile+16 vs school

Disabled (2018)38th percentile+15 vs school

Male (2025)37th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)35th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)22nd percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)21st percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts48%-15 vs state

Mathematics44%-8 vs state

Science33%-16 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Special Needs students get little to no help. Bullying is rampant and not taken seriously or addressed by staff like it should be. The entire atmosphere is depressing. This is the third school my children have attended and it’s the only school they have hated. Close Quote

Schools Near St. John's 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 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
St. John's Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	140 Park Street	Darlington	29532	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 398-5130	596	39	15.2		195 (32.7%)	308 (51.7%)	29 (4.9%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (9.7%)	30.5	446^th of 640 public elementary schools	30.3%		35.9	406^th of 638 public elementary schools	36.4%	40	50.6	53.7	38.9	57.2	48.4	25.9	33.3	$17,078	$2,150	$1,429	$3,579	$11,957	$1,542	$13,500
J. L. Cain Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	607 First Street	Darlington	29532	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 398-2450	533	43	12.3		88 (16.5%)	383 (71.9%)	18 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (8.1%)	20.5	528^th of 640 public elementary schools	17.5%		18.4	538^th of 638 public elementary schools	15.7%	10	46.7	45.0	36.8	58.7	24.7	25.0	23.5	$14,930	$1,660	$1,294	$2,953	$10,562	$1,415	$11,976
Brockington Elementary	Public, Magnet	3-5	413 Brockington Road	Darlington	29532	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 398-2500	303	23	13.2		64 (21.1%)	190 (62.7%)	21 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (9.2%)	42.8	358^th of 640 public elementary schools	44.1%		34.3	419^th of 638 public elementary schools	34.3%	61	49.2	49.5	58.8	60.7	47.5	56.5	35.6	$16,987	$2,731	$1,275	$4,006	$11,137	$1,844	$12,981
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		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
Lucy T. Davis Elementary	Public	K-5	201 Westfield Drive	Florence	29501	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 665-5977	632	44	14.3		226 (35.8%)	312 (49.4%)	32 (5.1%)	31 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (4.9%)	74.7	160^th of 640 public elementary schools	75.0%		72.5	169^th of 638 public elementary schools	73.5%	9	69.6	66.3	72.0	74.7	63.1	56.8	57.9	$14,171	$655	$1,107	$1,762	$10,925	$1,485	$12,409
Carver Elementary	Public	K-5	515 North Cashua Drive	Florence	29501	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 664-8156	615	44	14.1		245 (39.8%)	281 (45.7%)	21 (3.4%)	26 (4.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (6.3%)	80.8	110^th of 640 public elementary schools	82.8%		78.9	129^th of 638 public elementary schools	79.8%	19	70.4	78.7	67.5	69.9	73.7	59.4	72.9	$13,840	$675	$884	$1,559	$10,641	$1,641	$12,282
North Vista Elementary	Public	K-5	1200 North Irby Street	Florence	29501	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 664-8159	446	36	12.3		5 (1.1%)	404 (90.6%)	11 (2.5%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.9%)	46.1	335^th of 640 public elementary schools	47.7%		45.7	348^th of 638 public elementary schools	45.5%	13	65.0	55.9	46.9	67.6	52.0	37.3	41.6	$21,826	$921	$2,246	$3,168	$16,742	$1,916	$18,658
Delmae Heights Elementary	Public	K-5	1211 South Cashua Drive	Florence	29501	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 664-8448	988	63	15.6		269 (27.2%)	458 (46.4%)	111 (11.2%)	57 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	93 (9.4%)	66.6	212^th of 640 public elementary schools	66.9%		68	199^th of 638 public elementary schools	68.8%	13	73.6	62.1	68.0	68.4	52.8	57.7	50.4	$12,415	$834	$941	$1,774	$9,161	$1,480	$10,641
Royall Elementary	Public	K-5	1101 Cheraw Drive	Florence	29501	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 664-8167	512	40	12.8		216 (42.2%)	199 (38.9%)	38 (7.4%)	13 (2.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (8.6%)	83.2	93^rd of 640 public elementary schools	85.5%		95.3	22^nd of 638 public elementary schools	96.6%	71	66.6	83.4	86.0	70.3	69.2	72.1	56.4	$15,720	$1,184	$813	$1,997	$12,114	$1,610	$13,724
Briggs Elementary	Public	K-5	1012 Congaree Drive	Florence	29501	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 664-8169	451	34	13.4		216 (47.9%)	168 (37.3%)	22 (4.9%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (8.4%)	71	192^nd of 640 public elementary schools	70.0%		78.6	132^nd of 638 public elementary schools	79.3%	60	75.3	72.1	69.5	54.8	61.6	47.2	66.3	$14,690	$562	$925	$1,487	$11,546	$1,657	$13,203

Frequently Asked Questions about St. John's Elementary

What schools do graduates of St. John's Elementary attend?

Students who attend St. John's Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Darlington Middle
High : Darlington High

What is the racial makeup of St. John's Elementary?

Students at St. John's Elementary are 52% African American, 33% White, 10% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic.

How many students attend St. John's Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 596 students attended St. John's Elementary.

Is St. John's Elementary a good school?

St. John's Elementary ranks 446^th of 640 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is St. John's Elementary in?

Darlington 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.