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Theodore Lester Elementary

Q: Is Theodore Lester Elementary a good school?

Theodore Lester Elementary ranks 291 st of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

291^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 56% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Theodore Lester Elementary is a public school in Florence, SC, serving 362 students in grades 3 through 5 as part of the Florence 01 school district.

This school is in the middle of a remarkable turnaround. Just four years ago, it ranked in the bottom 5% of South Carolina elementary schools. Today, it sits in the 56th percentile statewide—a jump of 51 percentile points that has earned it a 3-star rating. That progress is especially impressive given that 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has made huge strides in English Language Arts, with 4th grade reading proficiency (71.7%) now well above the state average. It also does exceptionally well supporting its African American students, who rank in the 78th percentile statewide. Chronic absenteeism has plummeted from 41.7% to 18.1%—now below both district and state averages—and that improvement closely tracks with the academic gains. The school also spends more per student ($18,734) than most nearby schools, reflecting a real investment in student success.

Compared to other elementary schools in the area, Theodore Lester sits in the middle of the pack but is improving faster than most. Royall Elementary (89th percentile) and Carver Elementary (74th percentile) currently outperform it, while North Vista Elementary (39th percentile) and Wallace Gregg Elementary (22nd percentile) trail behind. The main area needing attention is math—5th grade proficiency sits at 41.1%, about 8 points below the state average. If the school can replicate its reading success in math, it has strong potential to become one of the top performers in the region.

362

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,295

Per pupil spending ?

66.9%

Directly certified for free meals (2023-24) ?

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

≥ 96%

Students (all grades) with required immunizations (2025-26)

3501 East Palmetto Street
Florence, SC 29506

(843) 664-8459

District: Florence 01

Students who attend Theodore Lester Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Williams Middle
High:	Wilson High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

52.5%

White:

30.1%

Two or more races:

9.4%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Theodore Lester Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 25th percentile in 2016 → 56th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 31 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the South Carolina median (56th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school57%

District avg57%

South Carolina avg58%

291^st of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 44%▲ up 31 pts since 2016

From bottom 25% (2016) to top 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 13Elementary Schools in the Florence 01

29^th of 75Florence 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	53.2	291 of 661	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.5	311 of 639	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.4	327 of 643	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	17.3	548 of 644	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.3	595 of 625	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.0	555 of 622	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.4	538 of 643	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.0	496 of 624	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.6	514 of 639	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	28.9	467 of 619	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	33.3	448 of 638	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	37.7	432 of 630	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	34.6	431 of 599	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	43.4	379 of 594	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	21.8	519 of 597	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	31.0	452 of 589	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	42.9	364 of 580	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	42.6	370 of 577	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	33.6	430 of 566	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	49.8	316 of 559	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2005	37.9	387 of 557	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2004	29.8	424 of 550	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	24.1	450 of 542	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.4	85 of 384	77.9%	★★★★☆
2025	58.1	141 of 380	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.9	133 of 369	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.5	254 of 394	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	16.7	367 of 393	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	30.6	259 of 350	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.7	285 of 421	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.8	251 of 412	39.1%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	52.0	68 of 161	57.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.9	363 of 599	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.2	324 of 580	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.3	270 of 568	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	5.9	562 of 573	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.4	488 of 554	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.4	486 of 588	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.2	483 of 570	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	63.2	46 of 101	54.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.4	346 of 634	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.2	333 of 612	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.1	308 of 602	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.9	469 of 608	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.2	570 of 600	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.0	498 of 580	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.0	480 of 600	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.7	461 of 588	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.4	217 of 591	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.1	274 of 585	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.0	332 of 571	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	9.8	540 of 579	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.5	522 of 561	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.1	520 of 590	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.4	462 of 571	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	75.0	101 of 463	78.2%	★★★★☆
2025	66.6	158 of 459	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.7	180 of 446	59.6%	★★★☆☆

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)

White (2026)78th percentile+22 vs school

African American (2026)78th percentile+22 vs school

Male (2026)63rd percentile+7 vs school

Disabled (2018)58th percentile+37 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)54th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)45th percentile-11 vs school

Female (2026)39th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts66%~ state avg

Science55%+3 vs state

Mathematics48%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Theodore Lester 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SC READY English Language Arts (2026)			SC READY Mathematics (2026)			SC READY Science (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		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	Vaccination: Students (all grades) with required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	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
Theodore Lester Elementary	Public	3-5	3501 East Palmetto Street	Florence	29506	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 664-8459	362	30	12.0	66.9%	109 (30.1%)	190 (52.5%)	26 (7.2%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (9.4%)	53.2	291^st of 661 public elementary schools	56.0%		49.5	311^th of 639 public elementary schools	51.3%	20	68.2	71.7	60.2	51.4	51.5	41.1	54.5	≥ 96%		$18,295	$827	$1,020	$1,848	$14,289	$2,158	$16,447
Henry Timrod Elementary	Public	K-5	1901 East Old Marion Highway	Florence	29506	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 664-8454	413	31	13.3	82.7%	81 (19.6%)	269 (65.1%)	22 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.7%)	41.9	388^th of 661 public elementary schools	41.3%		43.4	353^rd of 639 public elementary schools	44.8%	35	70.7	57.9	56.3	49.2	45.3	33.8	48.7	96%		$14,635	$1,389	$1,050	$2,439	$10,558	$1,638	$12,196
Wallace Gregg Elementary	Public	K-5	515 Francis Marion Road	Florence	29505	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 664-8481	283	27	10.4	84.7%	77 (27.2%)	162 (57.2%)	13 (4.6%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (9.9%)	23.5	511^th of 661 public elementary schools	22.7%		35	414^th of 639 public elementary schools	35.2%	97	55.4	51.2	46.3	47.3	43.9	18.5	31.7	≥ 96%		$17,894	$1,448	$1,028	$2,477	$13,076	$2,342	$15,417
McLaurin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	1400 McMillan Lane	Florence	29506	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 664-8457	552	40	13.8	60.5%	182 (33.0%)	273 (49.5%)	37 (6.7%)	6 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (9.6%)								(n/a)								93%		$16,035	$609	$1,095	$1,705	$12,427	$1,904	$14,331
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	89.4%	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	94%		$17,762	$845	$1,220	$2,065	$13,672	$2,025	$15,697
Greenwood Elementary	Public	K-5	2300 East Howe Springs Road	Florence	29505	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 664-8451	530	39	13.5	76.9%	123 (23.2%)	337 (63.6%)	16 (3.0%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (8.9%)	30.2	459^th of 661 public elementary schools	30.6%		31.2	440^th of 639 public elementary schools	31.1%	19	55.9	60.5	48.8	36.9	47.8	26.9	41.3	95%		$14,094	$998	$1,009	$2,006	$10,269	$1,819	$12,088
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	56.7%	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	≥ 96%		$14,283	$408	$799	$1,206	$11,243	$1,833	$13,076
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	57.8%	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	≥ 96%		$15,347	$960	$709	$1,669	$12,030	$1,649	$13,679
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	56.5%	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	96%		$13,369	$526	$1,014	$1,539	$10,229	$1,601	$11,829
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	61.2%	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	93%		$11,904	$658	$777	$1,435	$8,971	$1,499	$10,469

Frequently Asked Questions about Theodore Lester Elementary

How many students attend Theodore Lester Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 362 students attended Theodore Lester Elementary.

What district is Theodore Lester Elementary in?

Florence 01

What is the racial makeup of Theodore Lester Elementary?

Students at Theodore Lester Elementary are 52% African American, 30% White, 9% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Theodore Lester Elementary attend?

Students who attend Theodore Lester Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Williams Middle
High : Wilson High

Is Theodore Lester Elementary a good school?

Theodore Lester Elementary ranks 291^st of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Theodore Lester Elementary!

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 graduation rates (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2024–25 through 2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 20, 2026

2025–26 school spending dataOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data & dropout ratesOct 12, 2026

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.