McColl Elementary/Middle

McColl Elementary/Middle in Mc Coll, SC, is a PK-8 school serving 631 students within the Marlboro 01 school district, a rural district that has faced significant academic challenges. The school itself has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of South Carolina elementary schools over the past decade, though it stands as the highest-performing school in its immediate area, outpacing nearby Wallace Elementary/Middle and Bennettsville Intermediate.

Despite the overall low performance, there are several bright spots worth noting. The school shows a clear strength in upper-grade English Language Arts, with 4th, 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade proficiency rates significantly exceeding district averages. Most remarkably, McColl reported a 100% proficiency rate on the Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam in 2024-2025, far surpassing both the district (60.15%) and state (73.95%) averages—a powerful indicator that students can achieve at the highest levels when given the right support. Additionally, the school has shown meaningful progress in serving its economically disadvantaged students, with their ranking jumping from the 18th percentile to the 28th percentile over the past two years.

However, parents should be aware of two significant challenges. First, math proficiency remains consistently low across all grades, with 6th-grade math at just 21.3% compared to the state average of 40.9%. Second, chronic absenteeism is a severe issue, affecting 40.9% of students in 2024-2025—nearly double the state average of 22.3%. This likely contributes to the dramatic year-to-year swings in test scores, as results appear heavily influenced by which students are consistently attending. While the school benefits from a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.2:1 and substantial per-student spending, these resources alone haven't overcome the attendance and math challenges. Still, the Algebra 1 success and improving outcomes for low-income students provide a strong foundation for continued growth.