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North Elementary

Q: Is North Elementary a good school?

North Elementary ranks 372 nd of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

372^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 44% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

North Elementary is a PK-5 school in Lancaster, SC, serving 645 students in the Lancaster 01 district, a district rated highly overall but where this school has seen a steady decline in its state ranking over the past decade.

North Elementary currently holds a 2-star rating, ranking in the 44th percentile statewide—a significant drop from the 64th percentile a decade ago. This places it well behind nearby Buford Elementary (ranked 49th) and Van Wyck Elementary (ranked 66th), both of which are top performers in the same district. Even Heath Springs Elementary, which was ranked lower just two years ago, has now surpassed North. The school serves a high-poverty population, with 100% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, and spends more per student ($13,468) than its higher-performing peers—suggesting funding isn't the issue, but rather how resources are used.

One bright spot is the school's success with its African American students, who improved from the 43rd to 61st percentile statewide in just two years—a promising sign that certain strategies are working. However, chronic absenteeism has risen from 12.8% to 19.9% over the past few years, nearly double the rate at Van Wyck (11.5%). Additionally, 4th-grade scores swung dramatically from well below state average to well above in a single year, making it hard to gauge the true effectiveness of that grade level. While North isn't failing as badly as some urban schools in the district like Erwin Elementary or Brooklyn Springs Elementary, it's also not succeeding like its suburban neighbors. The school is at a crossroads—it has the funding and a proven success story to build on, but needs to address absenteeism and stabilize grade-level performance to reverse its downward trend.

645

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,895

Per pupil spending ?

68.3%

Directly certified for free meals (2023-24) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2023-24)

1100 Roddey Drive
Lancaster, SC 29720

(803) 283-9918

District: Lancaster 01

Students who attend North Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Buford Middle
High:	Lancaster High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

43.1%

White:

29.6%

Hispanic:

18.8%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare North Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 64th percentile in 2016 → 44th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school53%

District avg69%

South Carolina avg58%

372^nd of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 44%▼ down 21 pts since 2016

From top 36% (2016) to bottom 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Lancaster 01

23^rd 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
2026	43.4	372 of 661	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.5	391 of 639	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.5	389 of 643	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.8	318 of 644	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.0	288 of 625	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.1	267 of 622	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.2	263 of 643	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.2	301 of 624	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	61.5	231 of 639	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	63.8	220 of 619	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	66.6	158 of 638	75.2%	★★★★☆
2014	77.8	108 of 630	82.9%	★★★★☆
2013	74.8	131 of 599	78.1%	★★★★☆
2012	67.9	185 of 594	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	62.8	228 of 597	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	67.3	180 of 589	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	64.6	202 of 580	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	69.3	168 of 577	70.9%	★★★★☆
2007	57.0	260 of 566	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	64.9	204 of 559	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2005	61.0	233 of 557	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2004	58.6	242 of 550	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2003	56.7	253 of 542	53.3%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.1	148 of 384	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.0	201 of 380	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.8	210 of 369	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.0	152 of 394	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.7	121 of 393	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.2	95 of 350	72.9%	★★★★☆
2019	69.6	98 of 421	76.7%	★★★★☆
2018	65.3	113 of 412	72.6%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.6	96 of 156	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.3	64 of 147	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.0	84 of 143	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.8	134 of 174	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	44.8	81 of 161	49.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.6	348 of 599	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.5	347 of 580	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.3	370 of 568	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.1	285 of 580	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.6	264 of 573	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.2	231 of 554	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.1	257 of 588	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.8	306 of 570	46.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.3	387 of 634	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.9	387 of 612	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.7	375 of 602	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.0	299 of 608	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.9	298 of 600	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.3	275 of 580	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.6	293 of 600	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.3	291 of 588	50.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	43.0	340 of 591	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.9	370 of 585	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.1	338 of 571	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.0	309 of 582	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.0	288 of 579	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.5	279 of 561	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.8	275 of 590	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.0	281 of 571	50.8%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.4	248 of 463	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.4	243 of 459	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	60.9	186 of 446	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.7	153 of 463	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.1	167 of 455	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.5	149 of 439	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.6	154 of 472	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.4	179 of 457	60.8%	★★★☆☆

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)

African American (2026)61st percentile+18 vs school

White (2026)46th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)42nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)42nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)39th percentile-5 vs school

Disabled (2026)38th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts56%-8 vs state

Mathematics53%~ state avg

Science44%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near North 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 (2026)
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	Directly certified (2023-24)	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 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	68.3%	191 (29.6%)	278 (43.1%)	121 (18.8%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (7.6%)	43.4	372^nd of 661 public elementary schools	43.7%		38.5	391^st of 639 public elementary schools	38.8%	19	53.3	62.8	53.0	55.5	60.3	42.2	43.6	$13,895	$853	$275	$1,128	$10,870	$1,897	$12,767
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	84.2%	80 (19.4%)	238 (57.8%)	70 (17.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.8%)	27.2	481^st of 661 public elementary schools	27.2%		13.5	574^th of 639 public elementary schools	10.2%	93	50.0	45.8	39.2	64.0	39.6	27.4	41.7	$18,217	$1,932	$744	$2,675	$12,041	$3,500	$15,541
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)								$14,348	$451	$271	$722	$11,790	$1,837	$13,626
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	83.5%	93 (23.4%)	178 (44.7%)	107 (26.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.8%)	19.4	542^nd of 661 public elementary schools	18.0%		11.6	585^th of 639 public elementary schools	8.5%	43	51.7	48.1	45.7	43.1	27.0	35.1	28.9	$16,589	$1,341	$503	$1,843	$12,393	$2,352	$14,745
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	80.2%	130 (31.1%)	165 (39.5%)	88 (21.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (8.1%)	11.8	612^th of 661 public elementary schools	7.4%		13.7	570^th of 639 public elementary schools	10.8%	42	52.6	26.5	41.5	47.4	16.2	20.0	22.1	$16,111	$1,382	$463	$1,845	$12,099	$2,167	$14,266
Cogito Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	133 South Potter Rd.	Lancaster	29721	Lancaster County	Charter Institute at Erskine	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(803) 402-4700	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	21.3	528^th of 661 public elementary schools	20.1%					(n/a)	41.2	39.1	54.2	41.2	30.4	43.8	30.4
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	73.4%	135 (40.1%)	125 (37.1%)	51 (15.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.4%)	42.4	382^nd of 661 public elementary schools	42.2%		49.1	313^th of 639 public elementary schools	51.0%	69	45.1	50.8	62.1	54.9	52.4	59.1	36.5	$17,354	$1,332	$446	$1,778	$13,054	$2,522	$15,576
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	23.6%	488 (59.5%)	102 (12.4%)	126 (15.4%)	45 (5.5%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (6.7%)	88.2	66^th of 661 public elementary schools	90.0%		85.8	79^th of 639 public elementary schools	87.6%	13	87.9	79.2		88.0	72.3		63.5	$12,790	$277	$295	$572	$10,403	$1,814	$12,217
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	61.3%	657 (83.0%)	46 (5.8%)	45 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	42 (5.3%)	90	49^th of 661 public elementary schools	92.6%		85.1	85^th of 639 public elementary schools	86.7%	36	84.5	78.1	76.8	91.4	88.3	74.6	67.1	$12,661	$678	$268	$946	$9,734	$1,981	$11,715
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	66.5%	191 (64.3%)	67 (22.6%)	10 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (9.8%)	53.2	290^th of 661 public elementary schools	56.1%		36.8	401^st of 639 public elementary schools	37.2%	111	62.2	61.9	50.1	73.3	59.6	41.6	54.8	$17,342	$1,114	$490	$1,604	$12,994	$2,744	$15,738

Frequently Asked Questions about North Elementary

What schools do graduates of North Elementary attend?

Students who attend North Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Buford Middle
High : Lancaster High

How many students attend North Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 645 students attended North Elementary.

Is North Elementary a good school?

North Elementary ranks 372^nd of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of North Elementary?

Students at North Elementary are 43% African American, 30% White, 19% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races.

What district is North Elementary in?

Lancaster 01

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresAug 10, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataNov 3, 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.