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J. L. Cain Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

579^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 12% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

J. L. Cain Elementary is a PK-5 school in Darlington, SC, serving 533 students in the Darlington 01 district, where 100% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch.

J. L. Cain has ranked in the bottom 12-18% of South Carolina elementary schools for six straight years, currently holding a 1-star rating. The most striking concern is the science gap—only 22.3% of 4th graders are proficient versus 51.6% statewide, a 29-point deficit. Math proficiency also declines as students advance: 37.5% of 3rd graders are proficient, dropping to 26.4% by 5th grade. There is one bright spot: 3rd grade ELA has improved from 38.3% to 48.4% over two years, suggesting early literacy efforts are working. However, that progress doesn't carry into upper grades. The school also struggles with chronic absenteeism (26.2% in 2024-2025), though that's down from 35.7% the prior year. Performance for disabled students is critically low (1st percentile statewide), and female students have seen a sharp decline, now ranking in the 8th percentile.

What makes this frustrating is that J. L. Cain has the resources to do better. It spends about $14,930 per student—more than nearby Delmae Heights Elementary ($12,415) or Carver Elementary ($13,840) in Florence 01—and has a favorable 12.3:1 student-teacher ratio. Yet those schools rank in the 60th-74th percentiles. Even Brockington Elementary, just 1.5 miles away in the same district, outperforms J. L. Cain significantly (34th vs. 12th percentile). This suggests the issue isn't funding but how resources and instructional strategies are deployed. For parents, the key takeaway is that while the school has shown small signs of improvement, particularly in early literacy and attendance, significant work remains to close the achievement gaps, especially in science, math, and special education.

533

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,930

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

607 First Street
Darlington, SC 29532

(843) 398-2450

District: Darlington 01

Students who attend J. L. Cain Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Darlington Middle
High:	Darlington High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

71.9%

White:

16.5%

Two or more races:

8.1%

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Compare J. L. Cain Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 12th percentile in 2021 → 12th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (37% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school37%

District avg51%

South Carolina avg58%

579^th of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 12%▲ up 1 pts since 2021

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th 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	15.8	579 of 661	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.5	527 of 639	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.4	543 of 643	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.6	538 of 644	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.3	550 of 625	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.0	548 of 622	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.3	267 of 384	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.6	270 of 380	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.6	240 of 369	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.6	291 of 394	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.9	303 of 393	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.0	257 of 350	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	4.5	145 of 147	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.3	550 of 599	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	21.8	479 of 580	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.8	462 of 568	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.9	504 of 580	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.3	505 of 573	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.2	499 of 554	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.0	549 of 634	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.4	499 of 612	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.3	467 of 602	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.1	492 of 608	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.7	533 of 600	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.9	501 of 580	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.9	489 of 591	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.2	485 of 585	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.6	500 of 571	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.8	475 of 582	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.5	504 of 579	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.7	494 of 561	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	5.0	446 of 455	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2026)30th percentile+18 vs school

Male (2026)17th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)13th percentile~ school

Female (2026)8th percentile-4 vs school

White (2022)2nd percentile-10 vs school

Disabled (2025)1st percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts48%-16 vs state

Mathematics32%-22 vs state

Science22%-29 vs state

★

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Schools Near J. L. Cain 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
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	100.0%	88 (16.5%)	383 (71.9%)	18 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (8.1%)	15.8	579^th of 661 public elementary schools	12.4%		20.5	527^th of 639 public elementary schools	17.5%	52	48.4	52.5	43.6	37.5	31.3	26.4	22.3	$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	100.0%	64 (21.1%)	190 (62.7%)	21 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (9.2%)	33.2	437^th of 661 public elementary schools	33.9%		42.8	358^th of 639 public elementary schools	44.0%	79	49.5	64.8	51.3	46.0	42.6	40.4	39.9	$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	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
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
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	64.6%	226 (35.8%)	312 (49.4%)	32 (5.1%)	31 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (4.9%)	71.2	184^th of 661 public elementary schools	72.2%		74.7	160^th of 639 public elementary schools	75.0%	24	76.2	68.4	73.1	69.3	58.1	55.4	57.1	$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	67.9%	245 (39.8%)	281 (45.7%)	21 (3.4%)	26 (4.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (6.3%)	72.7	172^nd of 661 public elementary schools	74.0%		80.8	110^th of 639 public elementary schools	82.8%	62	72.0	71.4	79.6	60.0	61.4	65.3	56.3	$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	100.0%	5 (1.1%)	404 (90.6%)	11 (2.5%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.9%)	40.4	399^th of 661 public elementary schools	39.6%		46.1	335^th of 639 public elementary schools	47.6%	64	60.8	58.3	66.7	49.3	47.6	41.3	32.1	$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	68.6%	269 (27.2%)	458 (46.4%)	111 (11.2%)	57 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	93 (9.4%)	57.5	265^th of 661 public elementary schools	59.9%		66.6	212^th of 639 public elementary schools	66.8%	53	75.3	74.0	61.3	63.9	49.1	40.0	46.5	$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	100.0%	216 (42.2%)	199 (38.9%)	38 (7.4%)	13 (2.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (8.6%)	87.4	70^th of 661 public elementary schools	89.4%		83.2	93^rd of 639 public elementary schools	85.4%	23	89.0	78.4	87.5	76.7	74.3	60.0	67.5	$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	73.7%	216 (47.9%)	168 (37.3%)	22 (4.9%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (8.4%)	67.4	209^th of 661 public elementary schools	68.4%		71	192^nd of 639 public elementary schools	70.0%	17	78.2	70.8	71.3	71.8	50.0	52.3	49.4	$14,690	$562	$925	$1,487	$11,546	$1,657	$13,203

Frequently Asked Questions about J. L. Cain Elementary

What is the racial makeup of J. L. Cain Elementary?

Students at J. L. Cain Elementary are 72% African American, 17% White, 8% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

What district is J. L. Cain Elementary in?

Darlington 01

What schools do graduates of J. L. Cain Elementary attend?

Students who attend J. L. Cain Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Darlington Middle
High : Darlington High

How many students attend J. L. Cain Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 533 students attended J. L. Cain Elementary.

Is J. L. Cain Elementary a good school?

J. L. Cain Elementary ranks in the bottom 12.4% of South Carolina elementary schools.

Rate J. L. Cain 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.