Cherrydale Elementary

Cherrydale Elementary is a PK-5 school in Greenville, SC, serving 632 students within the Greenville 01 school district, where every student qualifies for free/reduced lunch.

Cherrydale’s overall state ranking places it in the bottom quarter of South Carolina elementary schools, but that single number hides a remarkable bright spot. The school’s work with its African American students is exceptional—they perform in the 76th percentile statewide, a level that outpaces many schools in the region and has been sustained for several years. This suggests that the strategies used in those classrooms are working well and could offer lessons for the rest of the school. At the same time, there’s a growing gap between boys and girls, with boys improving while girls have slipped slightly. The most urgent concern is for students with disabilities, whose performance has dropped dramatically over the past six years, now ranking in the bottom 10% of schools—a trend that warrants immediate attention from parents and administrators.

Compared to nearby schools, Cherrydale faces significant challenges. Just a couple of miles away, Stone Academy and Summit Drive Elementary post proficiency rates nearly double Cherrydale’s in reading and math, despite similar per-student funding. Chronic absenteeism at 24.3% is higher than those schools (10-14%) and likely contributes to the academic gaps. On a positive note, the school has improved from its pandemic-era attendance lows, and its English learner students perform in the mid-range statewide. While test scores fluctuate year to year, Cherrydale’s spending is competitive with higher-performing neighbors, meaning the issue isn’t a lack of resources—it’s about how to translate those resources into consistent gains for every student.