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Saluda Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

635^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Saluda Elementary in Saluda, SC, serves 397 students in grades 3 through 5 and is part of the Saluda 01 school district, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has experienced a significant decline in recent years, dropping from the 34th percentile statewide in 2021-2022 to the 4th percentile in 2025-2026, and now holds a 0-star rating. This places it among the lowest-performing elementary schools in South Carolina, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts ranging from 37% to 42.1% and math proficiency as low as 21.4% in 4th grade.

The contrast with Hollywood Elementary, the other 3-5 school in the same district, is striking. Both schools serve similar student populations with 100% free/reduced lunch eligibility, yet Hollywood posts ELA proficiency rates between 56.2% and 71% and math proficiency of 63.7% in 4th grade—outperforming Saluda by 20 to 40 percentage points across nearly every subject. Hollywood ranks in the 59th percentile statewide, while Saluda sits at the 4th percentile. This gap suggests that the challenges at Saluda are not simply a matter of demographics or district resources, but may relate to school-specific factors like instructional quality, leadership, or school climate. Notably, Saluda spends $11,570 per student, which is lower than Hollywood's $13,545, and other nearby schools with higher spending, such as Johnston Elementary at $19,037 per student, don't necessarily achieve better results either.

There are a few bright spots worth noting. Saluda's 5th-grade ELA scores improved significantly in 2024-2025, reaching 52.1% proficiency—close to the district average of 56.3%—suggesting some interventions may be working for certain cohorts. However, this improvement hasn't spread to other subjects or grade levels. Chronic absenteeism has nearly tripled from 5.1% in 2021-2022 to 15.6% in 2024-2025, though it remains below the state average of 22.3% and is actually lower than several nearby schools that outperform Saluda academically. The school's trajectory is concerning, with math scores falling dramatically across grades, but the success of Hollywood Elementary in the same district demonstrates that improvement is possible with significant changes in school-level practices and supports.

397

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,415

Per pupil spending ?

99.2%

Directly certified for free meals (2023-24) ?

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

≥ 96%

Students (all grades) with required immunizations (2025-26)

205 Matthews Drive
Saluda, SC 29138

(864) 445-2564

District: Saluda 01

Students who attend Saluda Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Saluda Middle
High:	Saluda High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

56.4%

African American:

23.4%

White:

17.6%

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Compare Saluda Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 19th percentile in 2016 → 4th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (32% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 15 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school32%

District avg41%

South Carolina avg58%

635^th of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 15 pts since 2016

From bottom 19% (2016) to bottom 4% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Elementary Schools in the Saluda 01

58^th of 75Saluda 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	9.5	635 of 661	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.1	609 of 639	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.9	552 of 643	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.6	464 of 644	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.9	411 of 625	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.0	403 of 622	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.6	518 of 643	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.1	437 of 624	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.7	398 of 639	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	24.0	502 of 619	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	40.4	386 of 638	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	52.4	329 of 630	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	49.3	338 of 599	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	41.5	393 of 594	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	41.8	394 of 597	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	50.6	314 of 589	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	43.6	358 of 580	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	49.0	335 of 577	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	54.8	271 of 566	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	36.9	396 of 559	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	29.4	437 of 557	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	19.6	483 of 550	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	12.3	500 of 542	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	14.1	369 of 384	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.7	375 of 380	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.3	322 of 369	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.1	264 of 394	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.4	133 of 393	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.6	132 of 350	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.9	207 of 421	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.5	201 of 412	51.2%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	4.5	145 of 147	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.6	104 of 122	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.3	165 of 189	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.4	155 of 161	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.0	90 of 106	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.7	92 of 104	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.8	51 of 79	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.3	42 of 72	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.5	55 of 84	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.9	54 of 84	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	16.6	91 of 104	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.9	54 of 82	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	10.1	571 of 599	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.5	533 of 580	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.0	472 of 568	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.5	411 of 580	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.9	398 of 573	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.9	368 of 554	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.4	491 of 588	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.4	392 of 570	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.8	140 of 159	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.9	143 of 156	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	24.6	87 of 114	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.5	75 of 115	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.2	84 of 115	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.3	51 of 86	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	18.3	100 of 116	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.9	75 of 104	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	11.3	616 of 634	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.4	598 of 612	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.1	525 of 602	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.2	423 of 608	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.6	340 of 600	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.3	297 of 580	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.2	496 of 600	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.2	381 of 588	35.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	8.9	567 of 591	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.0	566 of 585	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.3	519 of 571	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.0	456 of 582	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.9	378 of 579	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.8	376 of 561	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.3	488 of 590	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.9	440 of 571	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	9.1	436 of 463	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	19.0	395 of 459	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.1	348 of 446	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	47.5	260 of 463	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.8	257 of 455	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.1	391 of 472	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.0	305 of 457	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)15th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)12th percentile+8 vs school

White (2026)6th percentile~ school

Female (2026)5th percentile~ school

Male (2026)4th percentile~ school

African American (2026)4th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)3rd percentile~ school

Disabled (2025)1st percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts39%-25 vs state

Mathematics28%-25 vs state

Science25%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Saluda 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SC READY English Language Arts (2026)				SC READY Mathematics (2026)				SC READY Science (2026)		Vaccination (2025-26)		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 English Language Arts 6th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th Grade	SC READY Science 4th Grade	SC READY Science 6th Grade	Vaccination: Students (all grades) with required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	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
Saluda Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	205 Matthews Drive	Saluda	29138	Saluda County	Saluda 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 445-2564	397	28	14.4	99.2%	70 (17.6%)	93 (23.4%)	224 (56.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.5%)	9.5	635^th of 661 public elementary schools	3.9%		9.1	609^th of 639 public elementary schools	4.7%	26	37.8	42.1	37.0		33.9	21.4	29.2		25.4		≥ 96%		$10,415	$454	$388	$842	$8,106	$1,467	$9,573
Hollywood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1261 Hollywood Road	Saluda	29138	Saluda County	Saluda 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 445-8333	403	29	13.8	55.9%	247 (61.3%)	44 (10.9%)	103 (25.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.2%)	55.6	274^th of 661 public elementary schools	58.5%		62.6	238^th of 639 public elementary schools	62.8%	36	56.2	71.0	64.7		43.9	63.7	39.7		65.2		96%		$12,340	$634	$276	$910	$10,005	$1,425	$11,430
Johnston Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	514 Lee Street	Johnston	29832	Edgefield County	Edgefield 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 275-1755	276	25	11.1	80.0%	57 (20.7%)	158 (57.2%)	39 (14.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	20 (7.2%)	30	462^nd of 661 public elementary schools	30.1%		17.9	539^th of 639 public elementary schools	15.6%	77	58.7	47.7	51.3		54.4	38.7	34.2		36.3		93%		$18,228	$1,757	$996	$2,753	$13,938	$1,538	$15,476
Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	422 Hazzard Circle	Ridge Spring	29129	Saluda County	Aiken 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 685-2000	410	29	14.3	79.4%	159 (38.8%)	125 (30.5%)	90 (22.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (8.3%)	19.7	538^th of 661 public elementary schools	18.6%		25.1	491^st of 639 public elementary schools	23.2%	47	42.6	46.5	49.2		35.8	29.3	33.3		44.8		96%		$14,287	$807	$684	$1,491	$11,558	$1,237	$12,796
Batesburg-Leesville Primary School	Public	PK, KG-2	800 Summerland Avenue	Batesburg-Leesville	29006	Lexington County	Lexington 03	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 532-4452	525	44	12.0	65.2%	258 (49.1%)	132 (25.1%)	89 (17.0%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (7.6%)								(n/a)											≥ 96%		$17,035	$1,550	$825	$2,375	$13,166	$1,494	$14,660
W. E. Parker Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	41 Crest Road	Edgefield	29824	Edgefield County	Edgefield 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 637-4020	339	30	11.3	68.4%	129 (38.1%)	167 (49.3%)	25 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.3%)	60.4	251^st of 661 public elementary schools	62.0%		46.3	332^nd of 639 public elementary schools	48.0%	81	62.8	64.1	74.6		56.8	69.8	43.6		52.9		96%		$17,095	$1,464	$869	$2,334	$13,132	$1,630	$14,762
Reuben Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3605 Spearman Road	Newberry	29108	Newberry County	Newberry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 321-2664	150	9	16.3	76.1%	70 (46.7%)	43 (28.7%)	25 (16.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (8.0%)	49.8	318^th of 661 public elementary schools	51.9%		64	230^th of 639 public elementary schools	64.0%	88	62.5	69.2			58.3	38.5			50.0		96%		$17,794	$1,162	$1,108	$2,270	$12,369	$3,155	$15,524
Batesburg-Leesville Elementary School	Public	3-5	403 South Lee Street	Batesburg-Leesville	29070	Lexington County	Lexington 03	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 532-1155	429	36	11.9	48.7%	212 (49.4%)	122 (28.4%)	71 (16.6%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.7%)	31.7	446^th of 661 public elementary schools	32.5%		26.6	473^rd of 639 public elementary schools	26.0%	27	57.7	51.5	50.7		51.4	43.6	42.4		30.5		≥ 96%		$16,476	$1,846	$890	$2,735	$12,030	$1,711	$13,741
Ninety Six Elementary School	Public	3-5	810 Johnston Road	Ninety Six	29666	Greenwood County	Greenwood 52	No	No	No	No	(864) 543-4995	299	26	11.7	61.0%	225 (75.3%)	50 (16.7%)	9 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.0%)	64.7	225^th of 661 public elementary schools	66.0%		73.7	172^nd of 639 public elementary schools	73.1%	53	60.6	63.9	67.4		61.6	66.0	74.5		51.5		≥ 96%		$14,773	$1,393	$650	$2,043	$10,637	$2,093	$12,730
Ninety Six Primary School	Public	PK, KG-2	121 South Cambridge Street	Ninety Six	29666	Greenwood County	Greenwood 52	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 543-3112	283	25	11.3	62.2%	219 (77.4%)	41 (14.5%)	8 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.3%)								(n/a)											89%		$15,686	$2,149	$814	$2,963	$10,681	$2,042	$12,723

Frequently Asked Questions about Saluda Elementary

How many students attend Saluda Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 397 students attended Saluda Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Saluda Elementary?

Students at Saluda Elementary are 56% Hispanic, 23% African American, 18% White, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Saluda Elementary attend?

Students who attend Saluda Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Saluda Middle
High : Saluda High

Is Saluda Elementary a good school?

Saluda Elementary ranks in the bottom 3.9% of South Carolina elementary schools.

What district is Saluda Elementary in?

Saluda 01

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2024–25 through 2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 20, 2026

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

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.