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Bay Road Elementary

Q: Is Bay Road Elementary a good school?

Bay Road Elementary ranks 461 st of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

461^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Bay Road Elementary is a PK-5 school in Hartsville, SC, serving 563 students within the Darlington 01 school district. The school has shown gradual improvement from a challenging period a few years ago, moving from the 12th percentile statewide in 2020-2021 to its current 30th percentile ranking, though it maintains a 2-star rating.

The most pressing concern for parents to know about is chronic absenteeism. In 2024-2025, Bay Road reported a 24.6% chronic absenteeism rate—meaning nearly one in four students missed significant school days. This is notably higher than the state average of 22.3% and dramatically higher than Carolina Elementary, a school just 1.82 miles away that serves a similar population but has only a 5.8% chronic absenteeism rate. Carolina Elementary has earned a 4-star rating (76th percentile) compared to Bay Road's 2 stars, and outperforms Bay Road in nearly every academic subject—for example, 4th grade math proficiency is 85% at Carolina versus 48.5% at Bay Road. Carolina also spends more per student ($19,903 versus $15,999) and maintains a lower student-teacher ratio (12.7:1 versus 14:1).

Academically, Bay Road shows relative strength in English Language Arts, with 5th grade ELA performance historically above district averages. However, math proficiency declines sharply as students advance: 3rd graders achieve 49.1% proficiency, but that drops to just 34.5% by 5th grade—well below the state average of 49.1%. Science is the weakest subject, with only 33% of 4th graders proficient, compared to 51.6% statewide. There is also a growing gender gap, with female students ranking in the 35th percentile statewide versus 23rd for males. On a positive note, the school serves its African American students relatively well, with this subgroup ranking in the 44th percentile—higher than the school's overall ranking. For parents, the key takeaway is that Bay Road has solid foundations in literacy but faces real challenges in attendance, upper-grade math, and science that will require focused attention.

563

Students ?

14.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,999

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1251 Bay Road
Hartsville, SC 29550

(843) 398-6300

District: Darlington 01

Students who attend Bay Road Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Hartsville Middle
High:	Hartsville High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

50.3%

White:

34.6%

Two or more races:

8.5%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 44th percentile in 2024 → 30th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (46% vs 58% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 44th-percentile peak (2024) to 30th (2026)

!Science scores 19 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg51%

South Carolina avg58%

461^st of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▲ up 18 pts since 2021

From bottom 12% (2021) to bottom 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^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	30.1	461 of 661	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.8	426 of 639	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.6	358 of 643	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.2	402 of 644	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.4	490 of 625	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.2	546 of 622	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	43.0	216 of 384	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.0	216 of 380	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.2	176 of 369	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.2	121 of 394	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	27.3	313 of 393	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.8	296 of 350	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.2	391 of 599	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.8	375 of 580	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.1	334 of 568	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.6	429 of 580	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.8	500 of 573	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.0	539 of 554	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.3	400 of 634	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.8	357 of 612	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.7	295 of 602	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.1	344 of 608	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.4	459 of 600	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.9	499 of 580	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.7	455 of 591	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.9	420 of 585	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.5	329 of 571	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.0	311 of 582	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.2	420 of 579	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.4	461 of 561	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.1	311 of 463	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.3	274 of 459	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.6	276 of 446	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.7	318 of 463	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.3	338 of 455	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.2	396 of 439	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)44th percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)37th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2026)35th percentile+4 vs school

White (2026)33rd percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)23rd percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts53%-12 vs state

Mathematics44%-10 vs state

Science33%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bay Road 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Bay Road Elementary

Is Bay Road Elementary a good school?

Bay Road Elementary ranks 461^st of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Bay Road Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 563 students attended Bay Road Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Bay Road Elementary?

Students at Bay Road Elementary are 50% African American, 35% White, 9% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Bay Road Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bay Road Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hartsville Middle
High : Hartsville High

What district is Bay Road 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.