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Wateree Elementary

Q: Is Wateree Elementary a good school?

Wateree Elementary ranks 259 th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

259^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 61% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Wateree Elementary in Lugoff, SC, is a mid-sized school serving 688 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade as part of the Kershaw 01 district. The school has earned a 3-star rating and ranks in the 61st percentile statewide, placing it above the median for South Carolina elementary schools.

Wateree consistently outperforms both its district and state averages in English Language Arts and mathematics. In the most recent school year, 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders all scored above district and state proficiency rates in ELA, with 5th grade being a standout—posting a 72.5% proficiency rate that was 16 points above the district average. The school also shows strong results in 4th grade math, exceeding the state average by 7 points. Notably, Wateree achieves these results while spending less per student ($12,351) than nearby schools like Bookman Road Elementary and Bridge Creek Elementary in the Richland 02 district, which spend 15-50% more yet achieve comparable outcomes. Wateree also maintains lower chronic absenteeism (17.2%) than the district (21.0%) and state (22.3%), and it has shown particular strength in supporting students from low-income backgrounds, who rank in the 56th percentile statewide.

Compared to its closest neighbor, Lugoff Elementary, Wateree holds its own—Lugoff ranks slightly higher overall, but Wateree outperforms it in 4th grade math. The contrast with Jackson School is stark: Wateree's proficiency rates are often 20-40 points higher, despite spending nearly $2,000 less per student. While the school is consistently solid, its Gifted and Talented students have ranked in only the 26th-31st percentile statewide in recent years, suggesting the school may not be fully challenging its highest-achieving learners. Overall, Wateree offers strong, efficient academics with a stable track record spanning a decade.

688

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,351

Per pupil spending ?

59.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

424 Wildwood Lane
Lugoff, SC 29078

(803) 438-8018

District: Kershaw 01

Students who attend Wateree Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Lugoff-Elgin Middle
High:	Lugoff-Elgin High

Racial breakdown:

White:

61.0%

African American:

16.4%

Two or more races:

12.5%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Wateree Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 59th percentile in 2016 → 61st in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the South Carolina median (61st percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school59%

District avg55%

South Carolina avg58%

259^th of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 39%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Kershaw 01

27^th of 75Kershaw 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	58.4	259 of 661	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.6	227 of 639	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.9	208 of 643	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	73.7	162 of 644	74.8%	★★★★☆
2022	61.9	229 of 625	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.9	154 of 622	75.2%	★★★★☆
2019	52.6	306 of 643	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.5	352 of 624	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	57.7	258 of 639	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	56.7	256 of 619	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	58.8	229 of 638	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	73.6	144 of 630	77.1%	★★★★☆
2013	72.9	146 of 599	75.6%	★★★★☆
2012	68.3	181 of 594	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	56.4	278 of 597	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	60.2	240 of 589	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	62.0	227 of 580	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	59.6	245 of 577	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	58.8	244 of 566	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	59.0	253 of 559	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	48.7	321 of 557	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2004	60.3	227 of 550	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2003	70.8	153 of 542	71.8%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	82.7	15 of 151	90.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.9	258 of 599	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.9	253 of 580	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.0	235 of 568	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.4	189 of 580	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.2	279 of 573	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.3	186 of 554	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.6	401 of 588	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.0	378 of 570	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.6	170 of 196	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.3	75 of 101	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	50.1	57 of 82	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.8	88 of 109	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	46.7	116 of 147	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.6	280 of 634	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.7	223 of 612	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.4	196 of 602	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	76.1	121 of 608	80.1%	★★★★☆
2022	57.1	254 of 600	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	75.2	115 of 580	80.2%	★★★★☆
2019	46.6	340 of 600	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.3	411 of 588	30.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.3	248 of 591	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.2	182 of 585	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.8	146 of 571	74.4%	★★★★☆
2023	76.5	120 of 582	79.4%	★★★★☆
2022	68.7	174 of 579	69.9%	★★★★☆
2021	75.5	122 of 561	78.3%	★★★★☆
2019	63.5	219 of 590	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.7	315 of 571	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.8	297 of 463	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.2	306 of 459	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.0	286 of 446	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.9	246 of 463	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.0	282 of 455	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.8	207 of 439	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	27.6	366 of 472	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.4	398 of 457	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2022)90th percentile+27 vs school

Male (2026)58th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)57th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)56th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)36th percentile-25 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)13th percentile-48 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts67%~ state avg

Mathematics53%~ state avg

Science53%~ state avg

5.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Saturday, November 19, 2011

Wateree Elementary has come a long way in the past two years! Children want to go to school there because they feel loved and cared for. The staff are very dedicated to helping children learn. Close Quote

Schools Near Wateree 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 English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 8th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 7th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 8th 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
Wateree Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	424 Wildwood Lane	Lugoff	29078	Kershaw County	Kershaw 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 438-8018	688	45	15.2	59.3%	420 (61.0%)	113 (16.4%)	60 (8.7%)	8 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (12.5%)	58.4	259^th of 661 public elementary schools	60.8%		64.6	227^th of 639 public elementary schools	64.5%	32	66.7	67.4	66.4				57.3	59.4	43.0				52.8		$12,351	$986	$880	$1,866	$9,160	$1,325	$10,485
Lugoff Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	994 Ridgeway Road	Lugoff	29078	Kershaw County	Kershaw 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 438-8000	543	36	15.0	100.0%	321 (59.1%)	151 (27.8%)	25 (4.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (8.1%)	66.9	211^th of 661 public elementary schools	68.1%		70.6	193^rd of 639 public elementary schools	69.8%	18	68.9	65.7	77.5				63.3	52.9	64.6				52.9		$13,475	$1,234	$884	$2,117	$9,860	$1,498	$11,358
Blaney Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1621 Smyrna Road	Elgin	29045	Kershaw County	Kershaw 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 438-3241	750	53	14.1	100.0%	362 (48.3%)	216 (28.8%)	95 (12.7%)	5 (0.7%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (9.2%)	63.6	236^th of 661 public elementary schools	64.3%		54.9	275^th of 639 public elementary schools	57.0%	39	67.0	73.1	67.3				63.9	59.3	42.1				56.1		$11,876	$1,009	$898	$1,907	$8,650	$1,318	$9,969
Doby's Mill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1964 Ft. Jackson Road	Lugoff	29078	Kershaw County	Kershaw 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 438-4055	607	39	15.5	62.6%	331 (54.5%)	133 (21.9%)	69 (11.4%)	4 (0.7%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	66 (10.9%)	44.6	360^th of 661 public elementary schools	45.5%		52.8	292^nd of 639 public elementary schools	54.3%	68	49.0	56.2	65.3				46.8	58.3	42.1				54.2		$12,714	$1,144	$849	$1,993	$8,758	$1,963	$10,721
The Montessori School of Camden	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	2 Montessori Way	Camden	29020	Kershaw County	Charter Institute at Erskine	Yes	No	No	No	(803) 432-6828	112	13	8.9	21.2%	79 (70.5%)	16 (14.3%)	10 (8.9%)	2 (1.8%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.6%)								(n/a)															$14,674	$402	$394	$796	$10,655	$3,223	$13,878
Camden Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	416 Laurens Street	Camden	29020	Kershaw County	Kershaw 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 425-8960	644	44	14.7	57.1%	319 (49.5%)	193 (30.0%)	90 (14.0%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (5.9%)	30.4	456^th of 661 public elementary schools	31.0%		47.9	320^th of 639 public elementary schools	49.9%	136	61.1	55.6	55.7				51.2	30.9	32.9				34.0		$11,524	$1,319	$699	$2,018	$8,098	$1,408	$9,506
Bookman Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1245 Bookman Road	Elgin	29045	Kershaw County	Richland 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 699-1724	535	43	12.3	51.2%	101 (18.9%)	314 (58.7%)	72 (13.5%)	6 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (6.9%)	57.6	264^th of 661 public elementary schools	60.1%		59.2	261^st of 639 public elementary schools	59.2%	3	74.6	71.9	55.1				69.8	48.8	35.0				60.9		$19,019	$1,905	$765	$2,670	$13,672	$2,677	$16,349
Bridge Creek Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	121 Bombing Range Road	Elgin	29045	Kershaw County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 462-3900	564	47	12.1	60.1%	63 (11.2%)	374 (66.3%)	77 (13.7%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	42 (7.4%)	41.9	386^th of 661 public elementary schools	41.6%		43.6	352^nd of 639 public elementary schools	44.9%	34	50.0	68.4	58.7				53.4	48.7	44.4				39.5		$15,344	$1,391	$802	$2,192	$11,303	$1,848	$13,151
Catawba Trail Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1080 Old National Highway	Elgin	29045	Kershaw County	Richland 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 699-3501	636	50	12.7	48.5%	108 (17.0%)	297 (46.7%)	177 (27.8%)	13 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.2%)	69.1	199^th of 661 public elementary schools	69.9%		74.3	165^th of 639 public elementary schools	74.2%	34	66.1	69.0	71.9				65.6	58.6	59.4				60.8		$14,516	$1,812	$821	$2,634	$10,009	$1,874	$11,883
Lake Carolina Elementary Lower Campus	Public	PK, KG-2	1151 Kelly Mill Road	Blythewood	29016	Richland County	Richland 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 714-1300	531	39	13.5	41.9%	145 (27.3%)	248 (46.7%)	68 (12.8%)	12 (2.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (10.5%)								(n/a)															$17,870	$1,999	$958	$2,957	$12,263	$2,650	$14,913

Frequently Asked Questions about Wateree Elementary

How many students attend Wateree Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 688 students attended Wateree Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Wateree Elementary attend?

Students who attend Wateree Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lugoff-Elgin Middle
High : Lugoff-Elgin High

What district is Wateree Elementary in?

Kershaw 01

What is the racial makeup of Wateree Elementary?

Students at Wateree Elementary are 61% White, 16% African American, 13% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

Is Wateree Elementary a good school?

Wateree Elementary ranks 259^th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Wateree Elementary!

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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.