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James H. Spann Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5
250th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 649 South Carolina Elementary Schools
Better than 61% of South Carolina elementary schools
Summary

James H. Spann Elementary is a mid-sized public school in Summerville, SC, serving 577 students in grades PK-5 within the highly rated Dorchester 02 school district.

If you're looking at Spann, the standout news is science. In the most recent school year, 66.2% of 4th graders were proficient in science—well above the district (54.3%) and state (51.6%) averages, and actually higher than nearby William M. Reeves Elementary and Summerville Elementary. The school also shows a real strength in upper-grade reading: 4th and 5th grade English Language Arts proficiency rates (74.3% and 71.7%) beat both district and state averages, suggesting literacy skills really take off as kids move up. That said, 3rd-grade math is a weak spot—only 45.1% proficiency, which trails the district by 15 points. Overall, Spann ranks in the 61st percentile statewide, a solid mid-tier performer.

One thing you'll notice is that Spann invests heavily in its students. At $16,092 per student, it's the highest-spending school among its immediate peers, and it also has the lowest student-teacher ratio (12.4). That's a lot of resources, yet results are mixed compared to a school like William M. Reeves Elementary, which achieves top-quartile scores while spending nearly $4,000 less per student. Spann also sits in an interesting neighborhood: it's just 0.19 miles from the higher-performing Summerville Elementary (which has lower chronic absenteeism at 15.1% vs. Spann's 20.3%), but only 1.64 miles from Alston-Bailey Elementary, which struggles more. For parents, Spann offers strong science and upper-grade reading, a clear commitment of resources, and a convenient location—just be aware of the math gap and the mixed overall picture.

577
Students ?
12.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$16,092
Per pupil spending ?
63.6%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 901 John McKissick Way
       Summerville, SC  29483

(843) 873-3050

District: Dorchester 02


Students who attend James H. Spann Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Alston Middle
    Rollings Middle School of the Arts
High:    Ashley Ridge High
Racial breakdown:

White:
44.2%
African American:
27.4%
Hispanic:
19.6%
more
 See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

 Compare James H. Spann Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 80th percentile in 2016 → 61st in 2026
Strengths
Above the South Carolina median (61st percentile)
Worth a look
!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2016
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school60%
District avg61%
South Carolina avg58%
250th of 649
South Carolina public elementary schools ?
Top 39%▼ down 19 pts since 2016
From top 20% (2016) to top 39% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
7th of 15Elementary Schools in the Dorchester 02
20th of 75Dorchester 02 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202659.5250 of 64961.5%★★★☆☆
202564.6226 of 64064.7%★★★☆☆
202463.1229 of 63864.1%★★★☆☆
202377.1135 of 64479.0%★★★★☆
202268.9184 of 62570.6%★★★★☆
202155.8262 of 62257.9%★★★☆☆
201975.2143 of 64377.8%★★★★☆
201873.3139 of 62477.7%★★★★☆
201770.3169 of 63973.6%★★★★☆
201677.0122 of 61980.3%★★★★☆
201568.3149 of 63876.6%★★★★☆
201461.6252 of 63060.0%★★★☆☆
201364.7209 of 59965.1%★★★☆☆
201274.8125 of 59479.0%★★★★☆
201175.8119 of 59780.1%★★★★☆
201072.3139 of 58976.4%★★★★☆
200965.0199 of 58065.7%★★★☆☆
200869.6164 of 57771.6%★★★★☆
200763.9205 of 56663.8%★★★☆☆
200676.1110 of 55980.3%★★★★☆
200570.2156 of 55772.0%★★★★☆
200466.4181 of 55067.1%★★★☆☆
200364.2198 of 54263.5%★★★☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202566.0103 of 38173.0%★★★★☆
202448.8180 of 36951.2%★★★☆☆
202376.359 of 39485.0%★★★★☆
202262.8116 of 39370.5%★★★★☆
202137.0229 of 35034.6%★★☆☆☆
201977.362 of 42185.3%★★★★☆
201866.3106 of 41274.3%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202655.5249 of 58957.7%★★★☆☆
202542.9328 of 58143.5%★★☆☆☆
202445.0317 of 56543.9%★★☆☆☆
202367.9182 of 58068.6%★★★☆☆
202267.7171 of 57370.2%★★★★☆
202149.6265 of 55452.2%★★★☆☆
201971.6156 of 58873.5%★★★★☆
201870.5153 of 57073.2%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202658.4250 of 62459.9%★★★☆☆
202564.5200 of 61367.4%★★★☆☆
202466.6182 of 59969.6%★★★☆☆
202377.7106 of 60882.6%★★★★☆
202262.5209 of 60065.2%★★★☆☆
202148.0298 of 58048.6%★★☆☆☆
201969.2174 of 60071.0%★★★★☆
201865.3199 of 58866.2%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202659.5239 of 58359.0%★★★☆☆
202575.5135 of 58677.0%★★★★☆
202473.5140 of 56875.4%★★★★☆
202379.9106 of 58281.8%★★★★☆
202266.3191 of 57967.0%★★★☆☆
202157.1230 of 56159.0%★★★☆☆
201974.7134 of 59077.3%★★★★☆
201872.5140 of 57175.5%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202665.6170 of 45462.6%★★★☆☆
202574.6106 of 46077.0%★★★★☆
202470.3128 of 44171.0%★★★★☆
202378.488 of 46381.0%★★★★☆
202273.3109 of 45576.0%★★★★☆
202146.5246 of 43944.0%★★☆☆☆
201977.187 of 47281.6%★★★★☆
201878.486 of 45781.2%★★★★☆
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)73rd percentile+8 vs school
White (2026)63rd percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)60th percentile~ school
Male (2026)59th percentile~ school
Female (2026)58th percentile-4 vs school
By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts67%+3 vs state
Science66%+15 vs state
Mathematics51%-3 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about James H. Spann Elementary

Students at James H. Spann Elementary are 44% White, 27% African American, 20% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races.

In the 2024-25 school year, 577 students attended James H. Spann Elementary.

Students who attend James H. Spann Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Alston Middle
Middle : Rollings Middle School of the Arts
High : Ashley Ridge High

James H. Spann Elementary ranks 250th of 649 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »
2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresNewAug 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.

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