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Olanta Elementary

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-6

545^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Olanta Elementary is a small, rural school in Olanta, SC, serving 198 students in grades PK through 6, where every student qualifies for free or reduced lunch. The school is part of the Florence 03 district, which faces significant challenges compared to other districts in the state.

One of the most striking things about Olanta is its financial commitment to students. The school spends $19,474 per student—the highest in its comparison group—and maintains a low student-teacher ratio of 11.6:1. This is notably better than nearby Main Street Elementary (19.3:1) and Scranton Elementary (13.8:1). However, the school's biggest hurdle is chronic absenteeism. In 2024-2025, 32.8% of students were chronically absent—far above the state average of 22.3% and the highest among nearby schools. This rate has fluctuated wildly, spiking to 43.2% in 2022-2023 before dropping and rising again, suggesting a persistent issue that directly impacts learning.

Despite these challenges, there are bright spots. In 2025-2026, 4th-grade math proficiency reached 48%, which was 14 points above the district average and 16 times higher than Main Street's 4th-grade math score. The school also shows relative strength in 6th-grade English Language Arts, often matching or exceeding district averages. Perhaps most encouraging, the school's low-income students have shown improvement, ranking in the 36th percentile statewide in 2024-2025—better than the school's overall ranking. A nearby comparison is Walker-Gamble Elementary, just 10 miles away, which achieves far better results with similar demographics and lower spending. This suggests that addressing attendance and studying successful nearby schools could unlock significant progress for Olanta.

198

Students ?

11.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,474

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

312 North Jones Road
Olanta, SC 29114

(843) 396-4457

District: Florence 03

Students who attend Olanta Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Ronald E. McNair Junior High
High:	Lake City High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

60.1%

White:

32.8%

Two or more races:

3.5%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 18th percentile in 2016 → 18th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (38% vs 55% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (33% vs 22% South Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg39%

South Carolina avg55%

545^th of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Elementary Schools in the Florence 03

62^nd of 75Florence 03 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	19.2	545 of 661	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.8	464 of 639	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.5	485 of 643	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.3	523 of 644	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.8	484 of 625	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.1	590 of 622	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.5	599 of 643	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.8	538 of 624	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	19.4	545 of 639	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	22.6	509 of 619	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	25.8	518 of 638	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	31.9	471 of 630	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	28.5	483 of 599	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	47.5	353 of 594	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	47.4	355 of 597	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.1	373 of 589	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	43.1	361 of 580	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	43.7	363 of 577	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	25.7	471 of 566	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	45.1	344 of 559	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2005	27.9	446 of 557	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	39.9	373 of 550	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2003	43.9	335 of 542	38.2%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	33.2	282 of 394	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.6	290 of 393	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.6	341 of 350	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.7	395 of 421	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	40.7	260 of 412	36.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	5.3	549 of 554	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	34.2	394 of 570	30.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.1	461 of 634	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.7	391 of 612	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.9	442 of 602	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.2	454 of 608	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.1	451 of 600	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.8	550 of 580	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.4	567 of 600	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.4	545 of 588	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	6.4	545 of 561	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2023)28th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)27th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2021)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2021)1st percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts45%-17 vs state

Mathematics36%-14 vs state

Science24%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near Olanta 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
Olanta Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	312 North Jones Road	Olanta	29114	Florence County	Florence 03	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 396-4457	198	17	11.6	100.0%	65 (32.8%)	119 (60.1%)	6 (3.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.5%)	19.2	545^th of 661 public elementary schools	17.5%		27.8	464^th of 639 public elementary schools	27.4%	81	31.8	56.0	45.4		31.8	48.0	27.3		24.0		$19,474	$4,108	$1,447	$5,555	$12,093	$1,827	$13,920
Lake City Early Childhood Center	Public	PK, KG-2	906 North Matthews Road	Lake City	29560	Florence County	Florence 03	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 374-2353	357	23	15.3	100.0%	14 (3.9%)	319 (89.4%)	11 (3.1%)	3 (0.8%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.7%)								(n/a)											$14,340	$2,440	$1,324	$3,765	$8,954	$1,621	$10,575
J. C. Lynch Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	124 Hicks Road	Coward	29530	Florence County	Florence 03	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 389-3323	353	28	12.7	100.0%	239 (67.7%)	60 (17.0%)	40 (11.3%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.1%)	47	334^th of 661 public elementary schools	49.5%		40.7	369^th of 639 public elementary schools	42.3%	35	67.8	77.3	50.0	47.7	60.7	70.4	26.4	23.8	45.4	35.7	$13,662	$2,126	$1,189	$3,315	$8,839	$1,509	$10,348
Scranton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1649 US 52 Highway	Scranton	29591	Florence County	Florence 03	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 389-2531	389	28	13.8	100.0%	162 (41.6%)	186 (47.8%)	22 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.1%)	45	357^th of 661 public elementary schools	46.0%		36.8	400^th of 639 public elementary schools	37.4%	43	55.2	70.0	60.3	76.5	36.2	38.0	22.4	43.1	36.0	70.6	$13,464	$1,856	$1,093	$2,949	$8,995	$1,520	$10,515
Walker-Gamble Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2358 Walker-Gamble Road	New Zion	29111	Clarendon County	Clarendon 06	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(843) 659-2102	547	34	16.0	100.0%	393 (71.8%)	117 (21.4%)	30 (5.5%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	68.1	205^th of 661 public elementary schools	69.0%		74.4	163^rd of 639 public elementary schools	74.5%	42	62.7	67.1	71.9		62.6	64.5	60.7		57.9		$17,563	$2,183	$929	$3,112	$10,880	$3,571	$14,451
Pee Dee Innovation & Leadership Academy	Public, Charter	2-5	209 Graham Road Bldg 300	Lake City	29560	Florence County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(843) 374-3500	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	24.5	506^th of 661 public elementary schools	23.4%					(n/a)	57.2	53.4			42.9	43.3	30.0		20.0
Main Street Elementary	Public	3-6	318 East Main Street	Lake City	29560	Florence County	Florence 03	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 374-2221	318	16	19.3	100.0%	6 (1.9%)	295 (92.8%)	12 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.6%)	4.1	656^th of 661 public elementary schools	0.8%		16.3	557^th of 639 public elementary schools	12.8%	99	32.3	34.4	29.2	31.5	13.8	3.0	14.6	9.6	11.8	23.3	$14,249	$2,262	$1,237	$3,499	$8,694	$2,056	$10,750
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	100.0%	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		$17,377	$1,453	$1,595	$3,049	$11,351	$2,977	$14,328
Dewey-Carter Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4937 South Irby Street	Effingham	29541	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 664-8479	606	44	13.7	100.0%	246 (40.6%)	262 (43.2%)	60 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.3%)	52.6	295^th of 661 public elementary schools	55.4%		52.1	295^th of 639 public elementary schools	53.8%		71.0	65.3	53.1		64.0	57.9	33.7		50.5		$13,632	$982	$959	$1,941	$10,252	$1,439	$11,691
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	100.0%	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		$16,581	$1,045	$1,569	$2,614	$12,226	$1,741	$13,967

Frequently Asked Questions about Olanta Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Olanta Elementary?

Students at Olanta Elementary are 60% African American, 33% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Olanta Elementary attend?

Students who attend Olanta Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Ronald E. McNair Junior High
High : Lake City High

Is Olanta Elementary a good school?

Olanta Elementary ranks in the bottom 17.5% of South Carolina elementary schools.

How many students attend Olanta Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 198 students attended Olanta Elementary.

What district is Olanta Elementary in?

Florence 03

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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.