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Ford Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

589^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 649 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 9% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Ford Elementary in Laurens, SC, serves approximately 423 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Laurens 55 school district. The school has historically ranked in the bottom 10% of South Carolina elementary schools, though the most recent data shows meaningful improvement, with the school moving from the 4th to the 9th percentile statewide.

Ford Elementary has shown significant academic gains over the past year. Third-grade reading proficiency jumped from 29.9% to 42.2%, and fifth-grade math improved dramatically from 18.9% to 39.1% proficiency. The school also cut chronic absenteeism in half, dropping from 24% to 12%—a rate now better than the district average (17.7%) and the state average (22.3%). This improvement is particularly notable for students from low-income backgrounds, who saw their ranking jump from the 5th to the 14th percentile. However, a persistent gender gap remains, with female students ranking in the bottom 1% statewide compared to male students in the 17th percentile. The school spends $15,791 per student and maintains a favorable 10:1 student-teacher ratio, yet outcomes still trail peer schools. For example, Waterloo Elementary, just 11 miles away in the same district, achieves 87.1% proficiency in fourth-grade reading—more than double Ford's 40%—despite serving a similar student population.

Within the Laurens 55 district, Ford Elementary currently ranks as the lowest-performing elementary school, trailing Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle, Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle, E. B. Morse Elementary, and Laurens Elementary. While the school's spending is higher than several nearby schools like Woodruff Elementary ($11,362) and Woodruff Primary ($11,304), the investment has not yet translated into comparable outcomes. The comparison with Waterloo Elementary demonstrates that success is achievable within the same district, suggesting Ford's challenges are not insurmountable. With attendance improving and test scores trending upward, the school appears to be at an inflection point, though closing the substantial gap with district peers will require continued focus on instructional quality and targeted support for all students.

423

Students ?

10.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,791

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

601 Lucas Avenue
Laurens, SC 29360

(864) 984-3986

District: Laurens 55

Students who attend Ford Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Sanders Middle
High:	Laurens District 55 High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

44.0%

White:

28.6%

African American:

22.0%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Ford Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 5th percentile in 2016 → 9th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (36% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

!Science scores 27 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school36%

District avg46%

South Carolina avg58%

589^th of 649

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 9%▲ up 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 5% (2016) to bottom 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Laurens 55

60^th of 75Laurens 55 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	13.6	589 of 649	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.5	613 of 640	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.8	604 of 638	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.8	615 of 644	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.2	570 of 625	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.4	583 of 622	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.9	628 of 643	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.2	521 of 624	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	11.8	596 of 639	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.4	588 of 619	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.7	609 of 638	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	14.7	588 of 630	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	16.4	544 of 599	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	23.5	508 of 594	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	23.6	503 of 597	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	27.8	479 of 589	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	34.7	420 of 580	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	24.4	489 of 577	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	40.6	387 of 566	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	43.6	358 of 559	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2005	54.7	282 of 557	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2004	65.2	190 of 550	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2003	42.1	349 of 542	35.6%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	10.5	414 of 421	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.1	354 of 412	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	13.5	96 of 104	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	74 of 79	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.0	74 of 84	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.3	83 of 84	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.4	102 of 104	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.1	76 of 82	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	9.5	563 of 589	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.6	576 of 581	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.0	563 of 565	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.6	574 of 580	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.0	540 of 573	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.0	534 of 554	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.6	582 of 588	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.6	492 of 570	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	15.9	139 of 155	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.6	146 of 156	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.6	108 of 115	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.7	108 of 115	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.8	108 of 115	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.3	86 of 86	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.1	114 of 116	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.2	96 of 104	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.6	537 of 624	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.7	583 of 613	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.6	554 of 599	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.9	543 of 608	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	504 of 600	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.1	526 of 580	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.7	586 of 600	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	26.0	471 of 588	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.7	485 of 583	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.6	526 of 586	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.2	484 of 568	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	517 of 582	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.1	514 of 579	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.4	524 of 561	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.4	572 of 590	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.7	480 of 571	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	2.8	468 of 472	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.0	386 of 457	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)17th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)14th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)10th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)8th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)4th percentile-5 vs school

African American (2019)2nd percentile~ school

White (2019)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts42%-23 vs state

Mathematics34%-19 vs state

Science25%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ford 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 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
Ford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	601 Lucas Avenue	Laurens	29360	Laurens County	Laurens 55	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 984-3986	423	42	10.0		121 (28.6%)	93 (22.0%)	186 (44.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.4%)	13.6	589^th of 649 public elementary schools	9.2%		8.5	613^th of 640 public elementary schools	4.2%	24	42.2	40.0	43.4				35.9	28.4	39.1				25.0		$15,791	$1,436	$456	$1,893	$11,084	$2,813	$13,898
Laurens Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	301 Henry Street	Laurens	29360	Laurens County	Laurens 55	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 984-3067	465	45	10.3		212 (45.6%)	183 (39.4%)	53 (11.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (3.2%)	20.3	524^th of 649 public elementary schools	19.3%		17.1	548^th of 640 public elementary schools	14.4%	24	50.0	53.5	54.4				34.4	36.7	26.5				23.9		$15,289	$1,603	$453	$2,056	$10,543	$2,690	$13,233
E. B. Morse Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Parkview Drive	Laurens	29360	Laurens County	Laurens 55	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 984-7777	447	37	12.0		164 (36.7%)	240 (53.7%)	28 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.7%)	20.4	523^rd of 649 public elementary schools	19.4%		24.1	497^th of 640 public elementary schools	22.3%	26	58.0	43.7	37.7				43.6	32.4	39.6				26.8		$15,009	$1,351	$459	$1,810	$10,385	$2,814	$13,199
Clinton Elementary	Public	K-5	800 Chestnut Street	Clinton	29325	Laurens County	Laurens 56	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 833-0812	422	29	14.5		144 (34.1%)	203 (48.1%)	36 (8.5%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.8%)	19.4	529^th of 649 public elementary schools	18.5%		22.9	506^th of 640 public elementary schools	20.9%	23	41.3	41.2	52.3				50.6	20.6	36.9				30.9		$14,827	$1,825	$1,639	$3,464	$9,867	$1,497	$11,363
Eastside Elementary	Public	K-5	103 Old Colony Road	Clinton	29325	Laurens County	Laurens 56	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 833-0827	462	31	14.9		229 (49.6%)	156 (33.8%)	44 (9.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.7%)	72.5	173^rd of 649 public elementary schools	73.3%		75.3	157^th of 640 public elementary schools	75.5%	16	76.0	74.3	71.9				64.0	59.5	54.4				59.5		$14,193	$1,965	$1,611	$3,576	$9,277	$1,340	$10,617
Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	9210 Highway 14	Gray Court	29645	Laurens County	Laurens 55	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 876-2131	715	68	10.5		379 (53.0%)	117 (16.4%)	176 (24.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	8 (1.1%)	33 (4.6%)	30.5	449^th of 649 public elementary schools	30.8%		16.6	554^th of 640 public elementary schools	13.4%	105	58.7	48.0	38.9	37.5	49.3	44.1	62.7	44.0	31.9	23.4	19.7	30.8	46.6	37.5	$14,778	$1,293	$429	$1,722	$10,446	$2,609	$13,055
Hickory Tavern Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	163 Neely Ferry Road	Gray Court	29645	Laurens County	Laurens 55	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 575-2126	623	51	12.2		530 (85.1%)	43 (6.9%)	38 (6.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.8%)	49.7	315^th of 649 public elementary schools	51.5%		40.7	371^st of 640 public elementary schools	42.0%	56	60.0	65.1	52.1	48.5	51.5	49.3	49.1	53.9	37.7	40.6	42.5	30.8	66.7	57.8	$14,926	$1,280	$454	$1,734	$10,682	$2,510	$13,192
Waterloo Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10457 Highway 221 South	Waterloo	29384	Laurens County	Laurens 55	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 677-5610	254	30	8.5		186 (73.2%)	39 (15.4%)	10 (3.9%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.7%)	63.8	227^th of 649 public elementary schools	65.0%		66.5	214^th of 640 public elementary schools	66.6%	13	53.8	87.1	78.3				51.9	83.9	65.2				58.1		$17,444	$1,448	$595	$2,043	$12,332	$3,069	$15,401
Joanna-Woodson Elementary	Public	K-5	510 South Ellis Street	Joanna	29351	Laurens County	Laurens 56	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 697-6480	293	26	11.2		179 (61.1%)	62 (21.2%)	26 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.9%)	27	476^th of 649 public elementary schools	26.7%		41	367^th of 640 public elementary schools	42.7%	109	52.3	40.7	60.0				40.9	22.0	46.0				42.4		$17,683	$2,377	$1,875	$4,252	$11,395	$2,035	$13,431
Woodruff Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	200 Lucy P. Edwards Road	Woodruff	29388	Spartanburg County	Spartanburg 04	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 476-3174	776	49	15.6		490 (63.1%)	103 (13.3%)	91 (11.7%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	86 (11.1%)								(n/a)															$11,304	$1,555	$675	$2,230	$7,933	$1,141	$9,073

Frequently Asked Questions about Ford Elementary

How many students attend Ford Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 423 students attended Ford Elementary.

What district is Ford Elementary in?

Laurens 55

What is the racial makeup of Ford Elementary?

Students at Ford Elementary are 44% Hispanic, 29% White, 22% African American, 5% Two or more races.

Is Ford Elementary a good school?

Ford Elementary ranks in the bottom 9.2% of South Carolina elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Ford Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ford Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sanders Middle
High : Laurens District 55 High

Rate Ford 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.