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North Central Elementary

Q: Is North Central Elementary a good school?

North Central Elementary ranks 174 th of 649 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

174^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 649 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 73% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

North Central Elementary is a public school in Kershaw, SC, serving 509 students in grades PK through 5 within the Kershaw 01 school district. This school has become a standout success story, earning a 4-star rating after a remarkable two-year turnaround from a 2-star rating, and now ranks in the 73rd percentile statewide.

What makes North Central truly exceptional is its performance in upper elementary grades, particularly in math and science. In 4th grade math, 78.3% of students are proficient—a full 26 points above both the district and state averages. The school's 4th grade science scores are equally impressive at 74.7% proficiency, outpacing the state by 23 points. This academic strength extends to students from low-income backgrounds, as the school ranks in the top 18% statewide for how well it educates low socioeconomic status students, despite 79.4% of its population qualifying for free or reduced lunch. When compared to nearby schools, North Central outperforms every elementary school within a 17-mile radius, including Midway Elementary (just 5.5 miles away, ranked in the 15th percentile) and Camden Elementary (31st percentile). The school also achieves these results while spending less per student ($13,728) than several lower-performing neighboring schools.

While the academic gains are impressive, the school faces two notable challenges. Chronic absenteeism runs at 24.6%, higher than both district and state averages, which represents an opportunity for improvement. Additionally, the school's male students perform exceptionally well relative to their peers statewide, ranking in the 74th percentile. The school's rapid improvement suggests effective instructional strategies and targeted support are making a real difference for students, positioning North Central as a rising star in South Carolina elementary education.

509

Students ?

14.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,728

Per pupil spending ?

79.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1 Leonard Price Lane
Kershaw, SC 29067

(803) 432-0266

District: Kershaw 01

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.5%

African American:

14.3%

Two or more races:

8.4%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare North Central Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 49th percentile in 2023 → 73rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Carolina average (68% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 24 percentile points since 2023

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Kershaw 01

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school68%

District avg55%

South Carolina avg58%

174^th of 649

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 27%▲ up 24 pts since 2023

From bottom 49% (2023) to top 27% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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	72.5	174 of 649	73.2%	★★★★☆
2025	73.8	169 of 640	73.6%	★★★★☆
2024	47.8	338 of 638	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.8	329 of 644	48.9%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	35.3	97 of 143	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.9	66 of 174	62.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.8	175 of 589	70.3%	★★★★☆
2025	68.8	183 of 581	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.5	331 of 565	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.4	358 of 580	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.9	115 of 624	81.6%	★★★★☆
2025	77.1	109 of 613	82.2%	★★★★☆
2024	45.7	327 of 599	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.5	370 of 608	39.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	72.6	152 of 583	73.9%	★★★★☆
2025	74.3	145 of 586	75.3%	★★★★☆
2024	48.3	291 of 568	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.2	260 of 582	55.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.0	250 of 454	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.0	232 of 460	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.0	347 of 441	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.2	351 of 463	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2026)82nd percentile+8 vs school

Male (2026)74th percentile~ school

Female (2026)70th percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)45th percentile-28 vs school

Disabled (2024)32nd percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science75%+23 vs state

English Language Arts67%+3 vs state

Mathematics67%+14 vs state

★

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Schools Near North Central 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	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	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
North Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1 Leonard Price Lane	Kershaw	29067	Kershaw County	Kershaw 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 432-0266	509	34	14.9		359 (70.5%)	73 (14.3%)	31 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (8.4%)	72.5	174^th of 649 public elementary schools	73.2%		73.8	169^th of 640 public elementary schools	73.6%	5	55.4	73.8	74.3	64.1	78.3	58.1	74.7	$13,728	$1,859	$882	$2,740	$9,552	$1,436	$10,988
Midway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1892 Highway 1 North	Cassatt	29032	Kershaw County	Kershaw 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 432-6122	338	22	15.3		195 (57.7%)	56 (16.6%)	63 (18.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.8%)	17.8	549^th of 649 public elementary schools	15.4%		16.6	552^nd of 640 public elementary schools	13.8%	3	43.9	51.2	54.0	24.6	31.7	27.0	39.0	$15,712	$1,384	$1,079	$2,462	$11,563	$1,687	$13,250
Kershaw Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	108 North Rollins Drive	Kershaw	29067	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 475-6655	512	36	14.0		344 (67.2%)	95 (18.6%)	17 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	54 (10.5%)	65.5	213^th of 649 public elementary schools	67.2%		70.3	194^th of 640 public elementary schools	69.7%	19	69.3	60.0	63.2	70.6	61.5	67.8	47.7	$13,903	$925	$241	$1,166	$10,519	$2,219	$12,737
Jackson School	Public	PK, KG-5	1730 Jefferson Davis Highway	Camden	29020	Kershaw County	Kershaw 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 425-8965	530	40	13.2		133 (25.1%)	222 (41.9%)	126 (23.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (9.1%)	6.9	634^th of 649 public elementary schools	2.3%		7.7	620^th of 640 public elementary schools	3.1%	14	40.8	43.0	21.6	33.4	23.1	9.3	23.1	$14,313	$1,538	$955	$2,492	$9,808	$2,012	$11,820
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		319 (49.5%)	193 (30.0%)	90 (14.0%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (5.9%)	30.4	450^th of 649 public elementary schools	30.7%		47.9	320^th of 640 public elementary schools	50.0%	130	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
Pine Tree Hill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	938 Bishopville Highway	Camden	29020	Kershaw County	Kershaw 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 425-8970	505	36	14.1		268 (53.1%)	141 (27.9%)	53 (10.5%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (7.9%)	63.2	232^nd of 649 public elementary schools	64.3%		66.4	216^th of 640 public elementary schools	66.3%	16	71.0	67.7	63.8	63.1	60.0	50.7	52.3	$12,984	$1,254	$841	$2,096	$8,904	$1,984	$10,888
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		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
Heath Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	158 Solar Road	Heath Springs	29058	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 273-3176	297	23	13.2		191 (64.3%)	67 (22.6%)	10 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (9.8%)	53.3	285^th of 649 public elementary schools	56.1%		36.8	402^nd of 640 public elementary schools	37.2%	117	62.2	61.9	50.1	73.3	59.6	41.6	54.8	$16,355	$732	$398	$1,130	$12,722	$2,503	$15,224
McBee Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	284 E. Maple Ave	Mc Bee	29101	Chesterfield County	Chesterfield 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 335-8347	349	30	11.6		230 (65.9%)	62 (17.8%)	44 (12.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.7%)	29.9	457^th of 649 public elementary schools	29.6%		35.6	413^th of 640 public elementary schools	35.5%	44	55.1	53.9	62.3	36.8	34.6	45.3	27.0	$15,844	$1,422	$1,100	$2,521	$11,833	$1,489	$13,322
Jefferson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	809 West Elizabeth Street	Jefferson	29718	Chesterfield County	Chesterfield 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 658-3295	329	27	12.1		180 (54.7%)	86 (26.1%)	31 (9.4%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.5%)	28.2	465^th of 649 public elementary schools	28.4%		29.4	457^th of 640 public elementary schools	28.6%	8	46.0	52.5	55.1	50.0	40.0	40.8	30.0	$15,427	$2,126	$1,136	$3,262	$10,787	$1,378	$12,165

Frequently Asked Questions about North Central Elementary

Is North Central Elementary a good school?

North Central Elementary ranks 174^th of 649 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend North Central Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 509 students attended North Central Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of North Central Elementary?

Students at North Central Elementary are 71% White, 14% African American, 8% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic.

What district is North Central Elementary in?

Kershaw 01

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresNewAug 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.