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Buffalo Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

600^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 640 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Buffalo Elementary is a public elementary school serving 478 students in grades PK-5 in Buffalo, South Carolina, which is part of the Union 01 school district. Despite spending significantly more per student than the state average, Buffalo Elementary has consistently underperformed academically, with standardized test scores well below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas.

In the 2024-2025 school year, only 37.5% of 3rd graders at Buffalo Elementary were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 46% in the district and 61.8% statewide. In math, only 26.8% of 3rd graders were proficient or better, compared to 40.7% in the district and 56.3% statewide. The school's performance has been declining over the past several years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 308 out of 638 schools in 2014-2015 to 600 out of 640 schools in 2024-2025. Compared to the nearby Jonesville Elementary Middle, Foster Park Elementary, and Monarch Elementary, Buffalo Elementary consistently performs worse across all grade levels and subject areas.

Additionally, Buffalo Elementary has a very high chronic absenteeism rate, reaching 24.7% in 2022-2023 and 22.5% in 2023-2024, which is significantly higher than the state average of around 16% and the district average of around 22.5%. This high chronic absenteeism rate likely contributes to the school's poor academic performance, as students who are frequently absent miss important instructional time. Despite the additional funding and resources, Buffalo Elementary has been unable to improve student outcomes, suggesting that the challenges facing the school may be more complex than just a lack of funding.

483

Students ?

13.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,327

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

733 Main Street
Buffalo, SC 29321

(864) 429-1730

District: Union 01

Students who attend Buffalo Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Sims Middle
High:	Union County High

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.3%

African American:

34.6%

Two or more races:

15.3%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Buffalo Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 52nd percentile in 2015 → 6th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (31% vs 56% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 46 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school31%

District avg41%

South Carolina avg56%

600^th of 640

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 45 pts since 2015

From top 48% (2015) to bottom 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Elementary Schools in the Union 01

59^th of 75Union 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
2025	10.3	600 of 640	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.5	572 of 638	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.5	528 of 644	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.7	476 of 625	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.8	486 of 622	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.3	467 of 643	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.6	468 of 624	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	31.2	445 of 639	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	37.7	393 of 619	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	50.3	308 of 638	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	40.5	412 of 630	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	52.1	320 of 599	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	59.8	256 of 594	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	47.0	357 of 597	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	38.1	409 of 589	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	33.2	426 of 580	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	61.7	232 of 577	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	66.5	179 of 566	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	51.8	305 of 559	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	50.6	306 of 557	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	49.7	316 of 550	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2003	56.0	260 of 542	52.0%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	11.6	371 of 381	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.8	351 of 369	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	28.6	313 of 394	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.3	226 of 393	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.9	220 of 350	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	17.0	389 of 421	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.9	391 of 412	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	6.8	144 of 147	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.9	132 of 143	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.3	171 of 174	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.6	146 of 151	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.0	106 of 122	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.9	159 of 189	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.4	140 of 161	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	14.3	527 of 581	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.4	495 of 565	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.7	436 of 580	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.8	456 of 573	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.9	463 of 554	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.9	438 of 588	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.5	425 of 570	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	12.0	579 of 613	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.4	539 of 599	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.7	470 of 608	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.7	425 of 600	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.5	414 of 580	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.3	423 of 600	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.6	409 of 588	30.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	8.4	559 of 586	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.8	528 of 568	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.0	504 of 582	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.8	438 of 579	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.2	427 of 561	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.1	450 of 590	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.3	451 of 571	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	5.7	448 of 460	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.2	426 of 441	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.8	444 of 463	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.2	430 of 455	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.0	424 of 439	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.8	411 of 472	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.5	420 of 457	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2025)9th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)6th percentile~ school

Male (2025)5th percentile~ school

African American (2025)3rd percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)3rd percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2025)2nd percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts39%-23 vs state

Mathematics27%-26 vs state

Science21%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near Buffalo Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SC READY English Language Arts (2025)						SC READY Mathematics (2025)						SC READY Science (2025)		EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2025)	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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	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
Buffalo Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	733 Main Street	Buffalo	29321	Union County	Union 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 429-1730	483	36	13.4		219 (45.3%)	167 (34.6%)	21 (4.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	74 (15.3%)	10.3	600^th of 640 public elementary schools	6.3%		12.5	572^nd of 638 public elementary schools	10.3%	28	37.5	35.5	43.9				26.8	30.6	23.2				21.0			$14,327	$2,048	$1,389	$3,438	$9,106	$1,784	$10,890
Foster Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	901 Arthur Boulevard	Union	29379	Union County	Union 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 429-1737	430	30	14.3		150 (34.9%)	222 (51.6%)	20 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (8.8%)	17.9	541^st of 640 public elementary schools	15.5%		15	555^th of 638 public elementary schools	13.0%	14	37.7	43.5	48.1				33.3	40.6	29.7				30.4			$16,083	$2,685	$1,545	$4,230	$9,864	$1,989	$11,852
Monarch Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	218 Monarch School Drive	Union	29379	Union County	Union 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 429-1733	442	34	13.0		279 (63.1%)	141 (31.9%)	15 (3.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	46.2	334^th of 640 public elementary schools	47.8%		45.6	349^th of 638 public elementary schools	45.3%	15	57.8	58.0	47.7				54.9	61.3	48.9				40.3			$13,860	$2,396	$1,311	$3,707	$8,349	$1,804	$10,152
Jonesville Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	350 New Hope Church Road	Jonesville	29353	Union County	Union 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 674-5518	557	43	13.1		355 (63.7%)	116 (20.8%)	19 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (11.8%)	32.7	431^st of 640 public elementary schools	32.7%		26.3	471^st of 638 public elementary schools	26.2%	40	51.6	50.9	54.7	55.6	52.8	44.9	48.5	28.8	26.6	35.2	20.0	10.1	30.5	46.3	95.5	$13,495	$2,107	$1,485	$3,592	$8,174	$1,729	$9,903
Pacolet Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	150 McDowell Street	Pacolet	29372	Spartanburg County	Spartanburg 03	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 279-6500	429	27	15.8		284 (66.2%)	70 (16.3%)	27 (6.3%)	6 (1.4%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (9.1%)	75.9	154^th of 640 public elementary schools	75.9%		62.7	231^st of 638 public elementary schools	63.8%	77	82.0	74.2	62.5				83.6	59.7	60.7				51.6			$16,799	$1,359	$1,992	$3,351	$11,095	$2,353	$13,448
Pauline-Glenn Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2957 Highway 56	Pauline	29374	Spartanburg County	Spartanburg 06	No	No	No	No	(864) 583-1868	482	32	15.0		414 (85.9%)	11 (2.3%)	35 (7.3%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.5%)	72.9	181^st of 640 public elementary schools	71.7%		68.5	195^th of 638 public elementary schools	69.4%	14	73.7	73.2	78.8				65.8	58.5	52.6				51.2			$12,801	$544	$41	$584	$10,828	$1,389	$12,217
Whitmire Community School (Elementary)	Public	PK, KG-5	2597 SC Highway 66	Whitmire	29178	Newberry County	Newberry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 694-2320	250	20	12.6		186 (74.4%)	34 (13.6%)	8 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (8.8%)	61.7	245^th of 640 public elementary schools	61.7%		67.2	204^th of 638 public elementary schools	68.0%	41	56.9	60.9	75.7				56.8	65.3	51.3				52.2			$14,884	$1,305	$1,703	$3,007	$8,949	$2,927	$11,876
School School for the Deaf Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	355 Cedar Springs Road	Spartanburg	29302	Spartanburg County	Deaf & Blind School	No	No	No	No	(864) 577-7743	41	25	1.6		11 (26.8%)	15 (36.6%)	6 (14.6%)	5 (12.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.4%)	3 (7.3%)								(n/a)
School School for the Blind Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	355 Cedar Springs Road	Spartanburg	29302	Spartanburg County	Deaf & Blind School	No	No	No	No	(864) 577-7600	22	33	.6		10 (45.5%)	6 (27.3%)	6 (27.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Goucher Charter Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	604 Goucher School	Gaffney	29304	Cherokee County	Limestone Charters Association	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(864) 300-2787	244	24	10.1		208 (85.2%)	7 (2.9%)	11 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.1%)	43.7	350^th of 640 public elementary schools	45.3%					(n/a)		64.7	64.0	45.8	51.3			44.1	40.0	25.7	21.6		53.0	40.0		$16,223	$696	$1,708	$2,404	$9,916	$3,903	$13,819

Frequently Asked Questions about Buffalo Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Buffalo Elementary?

Students at Buffalo Elementary are 45% White, 35% African American, 15% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

What district is Buffalo Elementary in?

Union 01

What schools do graduates of Buffalo Elementary attend?

Students who attend Buffalo Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sims Middle
High : Union County High

Is Buffalo Elementary a good school?

Buffalo Elementary ranks in the bottom 6.3% of South Carolina elementary schools.

How many students attend Buffalo Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 483 students attended Buffalo Elementary.

Rate Buffalo Elementary!

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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.