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Waterway Elementary

Q: Is Waterway Elementary a good school?

Waterway Elementary ranks 184 th of 640 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

184^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 640 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 71% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Waterway Elementary is a public elementary school located in Little River, South Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 845 students. The school is part of the Horry 01 School District, which is ranked 9th out of 75 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Waterway Elementary has consistently maintained a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past several years, ranking between 133rd and 184th out of over 600 elementary schools in South Carolina. The school consistently outperforms the state and district averages in English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Waterway Elementary's 3rd-grade ELA proficiency rate was 68.9%, compared to 67.2% for the Horry 01 district and 61.8% for the state. Similarly, Waterway's 4th-grade Math proficiency rate was 64.3%, compared to 61% for the district and 53.7% for the state.

While Waterway Elementary excels in the performance of its African American and Hispanic students, the school's ranking for its gifted and talented students is relatively low, indicating a potential area for improvement. Additionally, the school's performance for students with disabilities is an area of concern, with a 2-star rating in 2022-2023. The high chronic absenteeism rates at Waterway Elementary, which are significantly higher than the state and district averages, may also be an area of focus for the school to address and improve.

912

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,091

Per pupil spending ?

59.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

700 Sandridge Road
Little River, SC 29566

(843) 399-2204

District: Horry 01

Students who attend Waterway Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	North Myrtle Beach Middle
High:	North Myrtle Beach High

Racial breakdown:

White:

48.4%

Hispanic:

20.2%

African American:

17.8%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Waterway Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 68th percentile in 2013 → 71st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Carolina average (64% vs 56% meeting standards)

✓Above the South Carolina median (71st percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school64%

District avg63%

South Carolina avg56%

184^th of 640

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 29%▼ down 6 pts since 2017

From top 23% (2017) to top 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

15^th of 26Elementary Schools in the Horry 01

9^th of 75Horry 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
2025	72.1	184 of 640	71.3%	★★★★☆
2024	74.8	152 of 638	76.2%	★★★★☆
2023	73.3	165 of 644	74.4%	★★★★☆
2022	70.6	172 of 625	72.5%	★★★★☆
2021	69.2	180 of 622	71.1%	★★★★☆
2019	75.4	142 of 643	77.9%	★★★★☆
2018	75.3	133 of 624	78.7%	★★★★☆
2017	73.4	147 of 639	77.0%	★★★★☆
2014	59.7	267 of 630	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	67.1	190 of 599	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	66.7	193 of 594	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	73.1	139 of 597	76.7%	★★★★☆
2010	75.9	119 of 589	79.8%	★★★★☆
2009	69.6	166 of 580	71.4%	★★★★☆
2008	72.5	133 of 577	76.9%	★★★★☆
2007	76.8	110 of 566	80.6%	★★★★☆
2006	76.3	107 of 559	80.9%	★★★★☆
2005	67.7	180 of 557	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2004	55.9	260 of 550	52.7%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	71.0	82 of 381	78.5%	★★★★☆
2024	88.5	18 of 369	95.1%	★★★★★
2023	81.9	44 of 394	88.8%	★★★★☆
2022	76.1	65 of 393	83.5%	★★★★☆
2021	76.2	43 of 350	87.7%	★★★★☆
2019	67.9	109 of 421	74.1%	★★★★☆
2018	58.7	142 of 412	65.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	44.8	94 of 174	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	65.5	31 of 122	74.6%	★★★★☆
2019	60.5	59 of 189	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	79.3	20 of 161	87.6%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	74.4	23 of 104	77.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	71.1	168 of 581	71.1%	★★★★☆
2024	71.5	156 of 565	72.4%	★★★★☆
2023	70.0	169 of 580	70.9%	★★★★☆
2022	69.6	157 of 573	72.6%	★★★★☆
2021	65.7	180 of 554	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.0	160 of 588	72.8%	★★★★☆
2018	77.6	114 of 570	80.0%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	43.6	72 of 101	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.2	69 of 82	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	58.1	71 of 105	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	71.8	39 of 156	75.0%	★★★★☆
2022	63.6	40 of 115	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	82.3	16 of 116	86.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	79.3	95 of 613	84.5%	★★★★☆
2024	83.0	74 of 599	87.6%	★★★★☆
2023	79.3	95 of 608	84.4%	★★★★☆
2022	77.6	109 of 600	81.8%	★★★★☆
2021	81.2	86 of 580	85.2%	★★★★☆
2019	85.8	51 of 600	91.5%	★★★★★
2018	87.8	49 of 588	91.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	69.1	183 of 586	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	74.1	134 of 568	76.4%	★★★★☆
2023	72.5	155 of 582	73.4%	★★★★☆
2022	67.8	182 of 579	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.1	162 of 561	71.1%	★★★★☆
2019	75.1	131 of 590	77.8%	★★★★☆
2018	69.6	154 of 571	73.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	63.8	170 of 460	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.5	169 of 441	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.8	181 of 463	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.7	194 of 455	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.4	145 of 439	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.7	146 of 472	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.4	108 of 457	76.4%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)85th percentile+13 vs school

African American (2025)78th percentile+7 vs school

English Language Learner (2019)78th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)75th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)71st percentile~ school

Male (2025)69th percentile~ school

White (2025)63rd percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2023)46th percentile-28 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)29th percentile-43 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts70%+8 vs state

Science62%+13 vs state

Mathematics60%+7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Waterway Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SC READY English Language Arts (2025)			SC READY Mathematics (2025)			SC READY Science (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Waterway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	700 Sandridge Road	Little River	29566	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 399-2204	912	56	16.2		441 (48.4%)	162 (17.8%)	184 (20.2%)	12 (1.3%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	107 (11.7%)	72.1	184^th of 640 public elementary schools	71.3%		74.8	152^nd of 638 public elementary schools	76.2%	32	68.9	72.1	69.5	68.0	64.3	46.7	62.2	$13,091	$1,077	$515	$1,592	$10,158	$1,342	$11,499
Ocean Drive Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	901 11th Avenue North	North Myrtle Beach	29582	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 663-0195	852	54	15.7		543 (63.7%)	48 (5.6%)	163 (19.1%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	91 (10.7%)	79.5	118^th of 640 public elementary schools	81.6%		77.9	139^th of 638 public elementary schools	78.2%	21	74.8	76.0	68.9	61.0	75.8	61.5	63.1	$13,073	$1,355	$495	$1,850	$9,630	$1,594	$11,224
Riverside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1287 Highway 57 South	Little River	29566	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 399-8800	697	47	14.8		313 (44.9%)	208 (29.8%)	86 (12.3%)	6 (0.9%)	4 (0.6%)	3 (0.4%)	77 (11.0%)	53.2	290^th of 640 public elementary schools	54.7%		58.2	262^nd of 638 public elementary schools	58.9%	28	56.5	69.0	58.5	48.3	61.0	38.1	59.3	$14,641	$1,623	$697	$2,320	$10,793	$1,529	$12,321
Ocean Bay Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	950 International Drive	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 903-8400	1,181	69	17.1		792 (67.1%)	86 (7.3%)	163 (13.8%)	40 (3.4%)	5 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	94 (8.0%)	86.5	74^th of 640 public elementary schools	88.4%		90.1	50^th of 638 public elementary schools	92.2%	24	75.5	83.3	75.7	71.6	74.1	63.0	74.6	$11,760	$739	$390	$1,128	$9,211	$1,421	$10,632
Myrtle Beach Elementary	Public	3-5	950 Seahawk Way	Myrtle Beach	29577	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 626-5831	1,066	69	15.4		377 (35.4%)	231 (21.7%)	362 (34.0%)	16 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.6%)	74 (6.9%)	30.7	445^th of 640 public elementary schools	30.5%		31.7	434^th of 638 public elementary schools	32.0%	11	52.3	48.0	50.7	50.6	41.2	37.5	35.2	$12,826	$1,075	$682	$1,757	$9,668	$1,401	$11,070
River Oaks Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	700 Augusta Plantation Drive	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 903-6300	1,426	92	15.5		825 (57.9%)	141 (9.9%)	315 (22.1%)	21 (1.5%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	118 (8.3%)	77.5	135^th of 640 public elementary schools	78.9%		82.3	101^st of 638 public elementary schools	84.2%	34	68.5	75.4	69.0	65.1	71.8	58.8	63.3	$11,914	$1,173	$432	$1,605	$8,977	$1,332	$10,309
Myrtle Beach Early Childhood	Public	PK-K	612 29th Avenue North	Myrtle Beach	29577	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 448-1658	555	31	17.9		151 (27.2%)	107 (19.3%)	203 (36.6%)	8 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	85 (15.3%)								(n/a)								$15,103	$2,826	$601	$3,427	$9,930	$1,746	$11,676
Daisy Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2801 Red Bluff Road	Loris	29569	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 756-5136	631	47	13.4		271 (42.9%)	193 (30.6%)	102 (16.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	60 (9.5%)	57.8	266^th of 640 public elementary schools	58.4%		50.1	315^th of 638 public elementary schools	50.6%	49	72.8	64.0	56.7	72.8	55.8	36.1	44.7	$15,329	$1,935	$677	$2,612	$11,154	$1,563	$12,717
Myrtle Beach Primary	Public	1-2	620 29th Avenue North	Myrtle Beach	29577	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 448-1774	710	44	16.1		196 (27.6%)	150 (21.1%)	266 (37.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	92 (13.0%)								(n/a)								$13,413	$1,486	$691	$2,177	$9,644	$1,592	$11,236
Kingston Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4580 Highway 472	Conway	29526	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 365-3777	517	40	12.9		332 (64.2%)	52 (10.1%)	88 (17.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (8.5%)	86.1	76^th of 640 public elementary schools	88.1%		85.8	79^th of 638 public elementary schools	87.6%	3	82.0	78.0	75.1	74.1	74.6	58.8	72.9	$15,422	$1,553	$501	$2,054	$11,573	$1,795	$13,368

Frequently Asked Questions about Waterway Elementary

What district is Waterway Elementary in?

Horry 01

How many students attend Waterway Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 912 students attended Waterway Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Waterway Elementary?

Students at Waterway Elementary are 48% White, 20% Hispanic, 18% African American, 12% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Waterway Elementary a good school?

Waterway Elementary ranks 184^th of 640 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Waterway Elementary attend?

Students who attend Waterway Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : North Myrtle Beach Middle
High : North Myrtle Beach High

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Schools in Little River, SC

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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.