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Lamar-Spaulding Elementary

Q: Is Lamar-Spaulding Elementary a good school?

Lamar-Spaulding Elementary ranks 366 th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

366^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 45% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Lamar-Spaulding Elementary in Lamar, SC, serves approximately 496 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Darlington 01 school district, in a small, tight-knit community where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

One of the school's standout strengths is its exceptional 4th grade performance. In the most recent testing year, 73.4% of 4th graders scored proficient in English Language Arts and 64.5% in math—dramatically outpacing both district and state averages by as much as 14 points. This isn't a one-year fluke; 4th grade has consistently been a bright spot. The school also keeps kids in class: its chronic absenteeism rate of 18.6% is well below the district average of 23.4%, and far better than nearby high-poverty schools like Pate Elementary (39.1%) or Brockington Elementary Magnet (44.5%). Additionally, African American students at Lamar-Spaulding have earned a consistent 3-star rating, performing at or above the state median for this subgroup.

However, the school faces real challenges. Overall rankings have slipped for three straight years, now sitting at the 45th percentile with 2 stars. The most concerning trend is a dramatic drop in 5th grade math—just 31.9% proficiency, nearly 10 points below the district and 17 points below the state. This represents a 22-point decline for the same cohort that excelled in 4th grade math the year before, suggesting a possible transition issue between grade levels. The student-teacher ratio has also risen from 13.3 to 16.0 over two years, coinciding with the performance dip. While Carolina Elementary (12.6 miles away) remains the district's top performer at the 76th percentile, Lamar-Spaulding still outperforms Bay Road Elementary and Brockington Elementary overall. With proven strengths in 4th grade and strong attendance, the school has a solid foundation—but targeted support for 5th grade math and stabilizing class sizes will be key to reversing the downward trend.

496

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,975

Per pupil spending ?

77.2%

Directly certified for free meals (2023-24) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2023-24)

5232 Lamar Highway 401
Lamar, SC 29069

(843) 398-6370

District: Darlington 01

Students who attend Lamar-Spaulding Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Spaulding Middle
High:	Lamar High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

53.4%

White:

37.3%

Two or more races:

6.3%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Lamar-Spaulding Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 57th percentile in 2023 → 45th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (52% vs 58% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 57th-percentile peak (2023) to 45th (2026)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school52%

District avg51%

South Carolina avg58%

366^th of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 45%▲ up 24 pts since 2021

From bottom 20% (2021) to bottom 45% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 7Elementary 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	43.8	366 of 661	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.7	316 of 639	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.1	317 of 643	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.3	278 of 644	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.7	292 of 625	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	20.1	495 of 622	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.9	191 of 384	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.7	176 of 380	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.6	154 of 369	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.7	153 of 394	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.5	148 of 393	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.6	214 of 350	38.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.8	344 of 599	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	55.3	256 of 580	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.2	258 of 568	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.5	251 of 580	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.4	258 of 573	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	20.3	453 of 554	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.2	335 of 634	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.3	270 of 612	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.7	264 of 602	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.3	214 of 608	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.8	270 of 600	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	16.3	511 of 580	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.0	331 of 591	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.4	357 of 585	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.7	326 of 571	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.4	281 of 582	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.1	295 of 579	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	17.1	463 of 561	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.6	345 of 463	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	55.6	218 of 459	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.2	190 of 446	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.4	151 of 463	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.1	210 of 455	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	7.7	421 of 439	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)50th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)47th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)44th percentile~ school

Female (2026)43rd percentile~ school

White (2026)25th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts57%-7 vs state

Science51%~ state avg

Mathematics48%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lamar-Spaulding 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 (2026)
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	Directly certified (2023-24)	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
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	77.2%	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	$14,975	$999	$1,017	$2,017	$11,493	$1,466	$12,958
Brockington Elementary Magnet	Public	PK, KG-5	304 Kemper Street	Timmonsville	29161	Florence County	Florence 01	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(843) 346-3956	329	28	11.7	91.6%	36 (10.9%)	246 (74.8%)	19 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (8.2%)	10.2	628^th of 661 public elementary schools	5.0%		19.5	532^nd of 639 public elementary schools	16.7%	96	40.8	37.7	38.3	49.0	16.9	21.8	17.3	$18,263	$914	$2,715	$3,628	$11,795	$2,840	$14,635
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	87.3%	94 (23.7%)	233 (58.7%)	26 (6.5%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	39 (9.8%)								(n/a)								$16,136	$1,210	$1,075	$2,284	$12,383	$1,468	$13,851
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	82.6%	124 (34.4%)	183 (50.8%)	20 (5.6%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (7.5%)								(n/a)								$16,965	$699	$901	$1,600	$13,956	$1,409	$15,365
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	55.2%	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	$14,108	$802	$915	$1,716	$10,888	$1,504	$12,391
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	78.1%	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	$14,851	$1,356	$1,010	$2,367	$11,028	$1,456	$12,485
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	84.6%	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	$16,491	$1,735	$1,023	$2,758	$12,011	$1,721	$13,732
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	46.0%	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	$19,597	$1,659	$693	$2,351	$15,418	$1,828	$17,246
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	88.5%	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	$24,274	$1,559	$1,209	$2,768	$18,150	$3,356	$21,505
Savannah Grove Elementary	Public	K-5	2348 Savannah Grove Road	Effingham	29541	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 664-8463	385	31	12.4	80.4%	69 (17.9%)	267 (69.4%)	19 (4.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	27 (7.0%)	40.1	401^st of 661 public elementary schools	39.3%		53.4	285^th of 639 public elementary schools	55.4%	116	56.6	54.3	71.9	48.9	38.6	40.3	50.0	$15,826	$965	$919	$1,884	$12,187	$1,755	$13,942

Frequently Asked Questions about Lamar-Spaulding Elementary

What schools do graduates of Lamar-Spaulding Elementary attend?

Students who attend Lamar-Spaulding Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Spaulding Middle
High : Lamar High

How many students attend Lamar-Spaulding Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 496 students attended Lamar-Spaulding Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Lamar-Spaulding Elementary?

Students at Lamar-Spaulding Elementary are 53% African American, 37% White, 6% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

Is Lamar-Spaulding Elementary a good school?

Lamar-Spaulding Elementary ranks 366^th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Lamar-Spaulding Elementary in?

Darlington 01

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresAug 10, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataNov 3, 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.