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Buford Elementary

Q: Is Buford Elementary a good school?

Buford Elementary ranks 85 th of 640 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

85^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 640 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 87% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Buford Elementary is a public elementary school located in Lancaster, South Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 758 students. The school is part of the Lancaster 01 School District, which is ranked 25 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Buford Elementary has a strong performance history, ranking among the top 85 elementary schools in South Carolina for the 2024-2025 school year and receiving a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school has maintained a 4- or 5-star rating for the past several years, indicating consistent academic excellence. Buford Elementary consistently outperforms the Lancaster 01 district and the state of South Carolina in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subject areas, particularly in Mathematics, where 88.9% of 3rd-grade students and 80.6% of 4th-grade students achieved proficiency or better, compared to 71% and 66% in the district, respectively.

The school's exceptional performance across various student subgroups, including those from low socioeconomic backgrounds and with disabilities, suggests a commitment to equity and inclusive practices. While Van Wyck Elementary and McDonald Green Elementary also demonstrate strong academic performance, particularly in certain grade levels and subject areas, Buford Elementary consistently ranks higher than these nearby schools in the state-wide rankings, indicating its overall academic superiority within the local context.

792

Students ?

16.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,139

Per pupil spending ?

66.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1906 North Rocky River Road
Lancaster, SC 29720

(803) 286-0026

District: Lancaster 01

Students who attend Buford Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	A. R. Rucker Middle
High:	Buford High

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.0%

African American:

5.8%

Hispanic:

5.7%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Buford Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 58th percentile in 2015 → 87th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Carolina average (75% vs 56% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 13% of South Carolina elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 29 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school75%

District avg65%

South Carolina avg56%

85^th of 640

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 13%▲ up 29 pts since 2015

From top 42% (2015) to top 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Lancaster 01

25^th of 75Lancaster 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	85.1	85 of 640	86.7%	★★★★☆
2024	86.2	77 of 638	87.9%	★★★★☆
2023	91.2	46 of 644	92.9%	★★★★★
2022	90.1	55 of 625	91.2%	★★★★★
2021	77.3	131 of 622	78.9%	★★★★☆
2019	84.3	88 of 643	86.3%	★★★★☆
2018	72.8	145 of 624	76.8%	★★★★☆
2017	61.4	233 of 639	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	68.0	177 of 619	71.4%	★★★★☆
2015	54.2	270 of 638	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	66.0	212 of 630	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	63.2	227 of 599	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	59.2	263 of 594	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	52.5	322 of 597	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.6	367 of 589	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	28.2	462 of 580	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	38.7	399 of 577	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	35.7	416 of 566	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	47.3	330 of 559	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2005	47.1	330 of 557	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2004	46.3	341 of 550	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2003	50.3	295 of 542	45.6%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	92.4	9 of 147	93.9%	★★★★★
2024	82.8	18 of 143	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	82.0	26 of 174	85.1%	★★★★☆
2022	76.8	27 of 151	82.1%	★★★★☆
2021	71.8	25 of 122	79.5%	★★★★☆
2019	78.8	32 of 189	83.1%	★★★★☆
2018	68.3	33 of 161	79.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	80.7	92 of 581	84.2%	★★★★☆
2024	79.7	102 of 565	81.9%	★★★★☆
2023	87.0	72 of 580	87.6%	★★★★☆
2022	87.3	67 of 573	88.3%	★★★★☆
2021	70.1	153 of 554	72.4%	★★★★☆
2019	81.1	91 of 588	84.5%	★★★★☆
2018	72.5	142 of 570	75.1%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	62.7	63 of 109	42.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	90.6	26 of 613	95.8%	★★★★★
2024	91.7	25 of 599	95.8%	★★★★★
2023	95.1	9 of 608	98.5%	★★★★★
2022	97.1	9 of 600	98.5%	★★★★★
2021	83.9	64 of 580	89.0%	★★★★☆
2019	90.0	27 of 600	95.5%	★★★★★
2018	80.5	85 of 588	85.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	86.1	64 of 586	89.1%	★★★★☆
2024	88.4	51 of 568	91.0%	★★★★★
2023	91.9	34 of 582	94.2%	★★★★★
2022	90.0	47 of 579	91.9%	★★★★★
2021	80.4	94 of 561	83.2%	★★★★☆
2019	83.6	78 of 590	86.8%	★★★★☆
2018	70.9	146 of 571	74.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	71.3	124 of 460	73.0%	★★★★☆
2024	69.6	131 of 441	70.3%	★★★★☆
2023	77.6	95 of 463	79.5%	★★★★☆
2022	73.5	108 of 455	76.3%	★★★★☆
2021	54.7	210 of 439	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.2	159 of 472	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.3	234 of 457	48.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)96th percentile+9 vs school

Disabled (2025)94th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)89th percentile~ school

Female (2025)84th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)73rd percentile-14 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2022)42nd percentile-49 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics80%+27 vs state

English Language Arts73%+10 vs state

Science63%+14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Buford 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
Buford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1906 North Rocky River Road	Lancaster	29720	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 286-0026	792	48	16.6		657 (83.0%)	46 (5.8%)	45 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	42 (5.3%)	85.1	85^th of 640 public elementary schools	86.7%		86.2	77^th of 638 public elementary schools	87.9%	8	80.1	71.3	68.0	88.9	80.6	70.7	62.8	$12,139	$574	$142	$715	$9,491	$1,933	$11,424
Clinton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	110 Clinton School Road	Lancaster	29720	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 285-5395	412	34	12.0		80 (19.4%)	238 (57.8%)	70 (17.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.8%)	13.5	575^th of 640 public elementary schools	10.2%		6.9	622^nd of 638 public elementary schools	2.5%	47	35.9	29.7	41.0	41.5	34.4	32.2	20.4	$17,848	$2,085	$575	$2,660	$12,212	$2,976	$15,188
Discovery Charter of Lancaster	Public, Charter	K-5	302 West Dunlap Street	Lancaster	29720	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	Yes	No	No	No	(803) 285-8430	146	10	15.0		64 (43.8%)	47 (32.2%)	29 (19.9%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.4%)								(n/a)								$13,257	$221	$236	$458	$10,385	$2,415	$12,800
North Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1100 Roddey Drive	Lancaster	29720	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 283-9918	645	43	15.0		191 (29.6%)	278 (43.1%)	121 (18.8%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (7.6%)	38.5	392^nd of 640 public elementary schools	38.8%		39.5	386^th of 638 public elementary schools	39.5%	6	60.6	37.3	55.5	58.5	38.3	44.4	39.4	$13,468	$799	$247	$1,046	$10,513	$1,909	$12,422
Brooklyn Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1637 Billings Drive	Lancaster	29720	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 283-8471	398	30	13.3		93 (23.4%)	178 (44.7%)	107 (26.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.8%)	11.6	586^th of 640 public elementary schools	8.4%		9.9	602^nd of 638 public elementary schools	5.6%	16	45.9	30.1	28.1	49.2	23.8	17.6	9.5	$16,109	$1,541	$294	$1,835	$11,982	$2,292	$14,274
McDonald Green Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2763 Lynwood Drive	Lancaster	29720	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 285-7416	337	25	13.4		135 (40.1%)	125 (37.1%)	51 (15.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.4%)	49.1	313^th of 640 public elementary schools	51.1%		46.3	345^th of 638 public elementary schools	45.9%	32	42.8	60.0	58.6	41.3	63.1	62.1	49.3	$17,243	$1,194	$260	$1,454	$13,142	$2,648	$15,789
Erwin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1477 Locustwood Avenue	Lancaster	29720	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 285-8484	418	32	13.1		130 (31.1%)	165 (39.5%)	88 (21.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (8.1%)	13.7	571^st of 640 public elementary schools	10.8%		7.3	621^st of 638 public elementary schools	2.7%	50	32.8	22.4	40.3	45.7	26.8	34.3	22.4	$16,705	$1,417	$656	$2,072	$12,178	$2,455	$14,633
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%)	36.8	402^nd of 640 public elementary schools	37.2%		26.8	467^th of 638 public elementary schools	26.8%	65	61.7	40.4	31.0	61.7	55.3	38.1	34.1	$16,355	$732	$398	$1,130	$12,722	$2,503	$15,224
Van Wyck Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	4945 Charlotte Highway	Lancaster	29720	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 313-6650	820	55	14.9		488 (59.5%)	102 (12.4%)	126 (15.4%)	45 (5.5%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (6.7%)	85.8	79^th of 640 public elementary schools	87.7%		80.1	121^st of 638 public elementary schools	81.0%	42	76.5	75.0		79.8	73.0		64.0	$12,373	$279	$234	$513	$10,141	$1,719	$11,859
Pageland Elementary	Public	3-5	715 West McGregor Street	Pageland	29728	Chesterfield County	Chesterfield 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 672-2400	365	24	15.2		84 (23.0%)	158 (43.3%)	72 (19.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (13.7%)	11.6	584^th of 640 public elementary schools	8.8%		12.1	574^th of 638 public elementary schools	10.0%	10	38.4	44.7	40.7	28.6	31.2	20.2	25.2	$12,514	$1,506	$1,142	$2,648	$8,443	$1,424	$9,866

Frequently Asked Questions about Buford Elementary

What district is Buford Elementary in?

Lancaster 01

How many students attend Buford Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 792 students attended Buford Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Buford Elementary attend?

Students who attend Buford Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : A. R. Rucker Middle
High : Buford High

Is Buford Elementary a good school?

Buford Elementary ranks 85^th of 640 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Buford Elementary?

Students at Buford Elementary are 83% White, 6% African American, 6% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

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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.