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Piney Woods Elementary

Q: Is Piney Woods Elementary a good school?

Piney Woods Elementary ranks 100 th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

100^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 85% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Piney Woods Elementary is a PK-4 school in Chapin, SC, serving 511 students within the highly regarded Lexington 05 district, and it has rapidly climbed to an 85th percentile statewide ranking with a 4-star rating.

This school has become a standout for its remarkable progress and its success with all types of learners. Most notably, Piney Woods ranks in the 93rd percentile for its exceptional performance with disabled students—a dramatic leap from just the 53rd percentile three years ago. The school also excels in 4th grade science, where 72.8% of students are proficient, outpacing the district average by 16.5 points and the state by 21.2 points. Its 4th grade ELA scores are equally strong at 83.7% proficiency. While 4th grade math was once a weak spot, falling 15.5 points below the district average in 2023-2024, the school has since made a stunning 21-point turnaround, now slightly exceeding the district. This upward trajectory is also seen with students from low socio-economic backgrounds, who now rank in the 79th percentile statewide. With a favorable 12.7:1 student-to-teacher ratio and per-student spending of $15,662, the school appears to use its resources effectively.

Compared to nearby schools, Piney Woods holds its own. It surpasses Chapin Elementary in 4th grade science (72.8% vs. 66.7%) and 4th grade ELA (83.7% vs. 81.6%), though Chapin ranks slightly higher overall. It also outperforms H.E. Corley Elementary in nearly every subject while spending nearly $3,000 less per student. However, Lake Murray Elementary (Lexington 05) remains the clear regional leader with a 5-star rating and stronger math scores. One area for attention is chronic absenteeism, which sits at 12.6%—better than the state average but notably higher than Lake Murray’s impressive 4.8%. Overall, Piney Woods’ rapid improvement and commitment to closing achievement gaps make it a compelling choice for families.

511

Students ?

12.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,662

Per pupil spending ?

30.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

816 Amicks Ferry Road
Chapin, SC 29036

(803) 756-1100

District: Lexington 05

Students who attend Piney Woods Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Chapin Intermediate
	Chapin Middle
High:	Chapin High

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.2%

Hispanic:

7.0%

African American:

6.1%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 59th percentile in 2023 → 85th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Carolina average (73% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 15% of South Carolina elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 26 percentile points since 2023

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school73%

District avg64%

South Carolina avg58%

100^th of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 15%▲ up 26 pts since 2023

From top 41% (2023) to top 15% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 13Elementary Schools in the Lexington 05

13^th of 75Lexington 05 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	83.4	100 of 661	84.9%	★★★★☆
2025	82.9	97 of 639	84.8%	★★★★☆
2024	68.9	191 of 643	70.3%	★★★★☆
2023	58.0	263 of 644	59.2%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	88.5	11 of 156	92.9%	★★★★★
2025	93.2	8 of 147	94.6%	★★★★★
2023	48.8	81 of 174	53.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	85.1	62 of 599	89.6%	★★★★☆
2025	83.3	77 of 580	86.7%	★★★★☆
2024	61.4	217 of 568	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.5	250 of 580	56.9%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.0	111 of 196	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.3	136 of 634	78.5%	★★★★☆
2025	62.8	208 of 612	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.3	263 of 602	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.6	364 of 608	40.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	78.4	109 of 591	81.6%	★★★★☆
2025	79.6	105 of 585	82.1%	★★★★☆
2024	72.7	147 of 571	74.3%	★★★★☆
2023	54.9	252 of 582	56.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.5	207 of 463	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.8	157 of 459	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.5	248 of 446	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.3	349 of 463	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2026)93rd percentile+8 vs school

Female (2026)90th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)82nd percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)79th percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)55th percentile-30 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)43rd percentile-42 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts79%+15 vs state

Science73%+21 vs state

Mathematics68%+14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Piney Woods 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 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
Piney Woods Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	816 Amicks Ferry Road	Chapin	29036	Lexington County	Lexington 05	No	No	No	No	(803) 756-1100	511	40	12.7	30.9%	420 (82.2%)	31 (6.1%)	36 (7.0%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.7%)	83.4	100^th of 661 public elementary schools	84.9%		82.9	97^th of 639 public elementary schools	84.8%	3	74.2	83.7		71.0	65.0		72.8	$15,662	$799	$474	$1,273	$12,706	$1,683	$14,389
Chapin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	940 Old Bush River Road	Chapin	29036	Lexington County	Lexington 05	No	No	No	No	(803) 575-5900	767	60	12.8	36.6%	577 (75.2%)	57 (7.4%)	70 (9.1%)	9 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	52 (6.8%)	87.1	72^nd of 661 public elementary schools	89.1%		85	86^th of 639 public elementary schools	86.5%	14	81.5	81.6		74.0	76.9		66.7	$14,279	$771	$437	$1,208	$11,521	$1,549	$13,070
Little Mountain Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	692 Mill Street	Little Mountain	29075	Newberry County	Newberry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 945-7721	367	29	12.6	100.0%	277 (75.5%)	50 (13.6%)	20 (5.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.2%)	56.1	271^st of 661 public elementary schools	59.0%		71.4	190^th of 639 public elementary schools	70.3%	81	64.8	57.7	62.5	62.2	52.0	51.8	55.8	$13,595	$1,558	$920	$2,478	$9,143	$1,974	$11,117
Lake Murray Elementary	Public	K-4	1531 Three Dog Road	Chapin	29036	Lexington County	Lexington 05	No	No	No	No	(803) 476-4600	753	57	13.3	19.6%	590 (78.4%)	31 (4.1%)	51 (6.8%)	33 (4.4%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	45 (6.0%)	89.8	51^st of 661 public elementary schools	92.3%		88.8	55^th of 639 public elementary schools	91.4%	4	85.5	80.6		84.9	74.6		66.9	$13,913	$646	$397	$1,044	$11,360	$1,510	$12,870
Ballentine Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1040 Bickley Road	Irmo	29063	Richland County	Lexington 05	No	No	No	No	(803) 476-4500	523	39	13.4	38.4%	321 (61.4%)	105 (20.1%)	37 (7.1%)	21 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	38 (7.3%)	86.6	76^th of 661 public elementary schools	88.5%		79.2	123^rd of 639 public elementary schools	80.8%	47	87.5	84.6	72.8	82.6	76.9	61.2	69.2	$16,078	$714	$476	$1,191	$13,205	$1,682	$14,887
Prosperity-Rikard Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	381 South Wheeler Avenue	Prosperity	29127	Newberry County	Newberry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 364-2321	386	27	14.2	100.0%	207 (53.6%)	111 (28.8%)	46 (11.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.7%)	38.7	407^th of 661 public elementary schools	38.4%		41	367^th of 639 public elementary schools	42.6%	40	47.7	64.2	50.9	35.3	48.6	36.4	62.9	$14,390	$1,443	$1,061	$2,504	$9,578	$2,308	$11,886
Pomaria-Garmany Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7288 US Highway 176	Pomaria	29126	Newberry County	Newberry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 321-2651	339	28	12.1	100.0%	177 (52.2%)	73 (21.5%)	71 (20.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.3%)	71.3	183^rd of 661 public elementary schools	72.3%		71.8	186^th of 639 public elementary schools	70.9%	3	73.4	67.9	71.2	75.5	46.5	53.8	78.6	$16,581	$2,068	$1,301	$3,369	$11,145	$2,067	$13,212
H. E. Corley Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1500 Chadford Road	Irmo	29063	Richland County	Lexington 05	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 476-4001	557	55	10.1	62.9%	189 (33.9%)	222 (39.9%)	60 (10.8%)	21 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	64 (11.5%)	70.5	190^th of 661 public elementary schools	71.3%		60.9	247^th of 639 public elementary schools	61.3%	57	76.7	71.6	72.0	75.4	56.7	52.5	50.0	$18,644	$1,553	$710	$2,262	$14,694	$1,688	$16,382
Rocky Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	430 Calks Ferry Road	Lexington	29072	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 821-4200	805	57	14.0	29.4%	627 (77.9%)	56 (7.0%)	44 (5.5%)	26 (3.2%)	3 (0.4%)	3 (0.4%)	46 (5.7%)	84.4	89^th of 661 public elementary schools	86.5%		87	70^th of 639 public elementary schools	89.0%	19	72.9	86.0	80.5	76.7	72.0	56.9	68.2	$13,404	$687	$370	$1,057	$10,764	$1,583	$12,347
New Providence Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1118 Old Cherokee Road	Lexington	29072	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 821-3300	810	55	14.7	18.6%	571 (70.5%)	72 (8.9%)	54 (6.7%)	77 (9.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (4.3%)	91.9	35^th of 661 public elementary schools	94.7%		92	37^th of 639 public elementary schools	94.2%	2	81.8	87.3	84.4	84.3	74.7	74.1	72.7	$13,907	$657	$455	$1,112	$11,526	$1,269	$12,795

Frequently Asked Questions about Piney Woods Elementary

How many students attend Piney Woods Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 511 students attended Piney Woods Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Piney Woods Elementary?

Students at Piney Woods Elementary are 82% White, 7% Hispanic, 6% African American, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Piney Woods Elementary in?

Lexington 05

What schools do graduates of Piney Woods Elementary attend?

Students who attend Piney Woods Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Chapin Intermediate
Middle : Chapin Middle
High : Chapin High

Is Piney Woods Elementary a good school?

Piney Woods Elementary ranks 100^th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Piney Woods 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.