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Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy

Public Grades 3-5

573^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy in Kingstree, SC, is an elementary school serving 362 students in grades 3-5 within the Williamsburg 01 school district, where all students qualify for free/reduced lunch.

The most encouraging news for parents is the school's dramatic progress on attendance. Chronic absenteeism has fallen from 42.6% in 2022-2023 to 25.4% in 2024-2025—a 40% reduction in just two years. This now beats the district average of 35.6% and is far better than nearby W.M. Anderson Primary (45.6%). Academically, the school shows real strengths in certain areas. Fifth graders are performing nearly at the state average in ELA (55.1% vs. 63.6% statewide), and the school actually outperforms Greeleyville STEAM Academy in 4th grade math (32.2% vs. 18.5%), despite Greeleyville having a higher overall ranking. The school also compares very favorably to Main Street Elementary, where 4th grade math proficiency is just 3% versus Kenneth Gardner's 32.2%.

However, there are challenges parents should know about. Science proficiency is the biggest concern—only 18.1% of 4th graders scored proficient versus 51.6% statewide. Third grade math also lags significantly (37.4% vs. 59.2% statewide). The school's overall ranking places it in the bottom quartile of South Carolina elementary schools, though it has improved from its pandemic-era low. When compared to Walker-Gamble Elementary, a higher-performing school in the region, the achievement gap is substantial—for example, 32.3 percentage points in 4th grade math. Per-student spending has fluctuated dramatically from $6,307 to $16,578 in recent years, which may affect program continuity. Still, with a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.6 and clear momentum on attendance, the school is showing it can make meaningful progress.

362

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,578

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1503 Woodland Drive
Kingstree, SC 29556

(843) 355-7233

District: Williamsburg 01

Students who attend Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy usually attend:

Middle:

Kingstree Middle Magnet

Racial breakdown:

African American:

87.0%

White:

5.8%

Two or more races:

3.9%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 11th percentile in 2016 → 13th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (37% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!Science scores 33 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school37%

District avg39%

South Carolina avg58%

573^rd of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Elementary Schools in the Williamsburg 01

61^st of 75Williamsburg 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	16.3	573 of 661	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.6	554 of 639	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.1	498 of 643	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.7	572 of 644	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.6	588 of 625	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.4	606 of 622	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.6	597 of 643	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.8	586 of 624	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	15.5	573 of 639	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	16.9	551 of 619	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	19.9	566 of 638	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	20.1	566 of 630	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.9	475 of 599	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	22.7	511 of 594	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	25.0	498 of 597	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	15.0	547 of 589	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	14.2	536 of 580	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	20.7	505 of 577	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	21.0	494 of 566	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	24.6	460 of 559	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	26.2	453 of 557	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	23.0	468 of 550	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	16.9	484 of 542	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.5	264 of 384	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.3	248 of 380	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.7	191 of 369	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.2	263 of 394	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.3	324 of 393	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.0	310 of 350	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.2	335 of 421	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.9	335 of 412	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	10.4	186 of 189	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.6	141 of 161	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.6	521 of 599	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.2	510 of 580	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.7	478 of 568	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.7	532 of 580	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.0	527 of 573	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.5	522 of 554	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.6	544 of 588	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.8	519 of 570	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.1	537 of 634	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.5	510 of 612	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.6	447 of 602	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.2	525 of 608	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.9	571 of 600	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.0	564 of 580	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.2	557 of 600	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.1	555 of 588	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	15.6	523 of 591	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.1	508 of 585	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.0	434 of 571	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.7	512 of 582	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.1	553 of 579	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.9	554 of 561	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.3	557 of 590	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.4	558 of 571	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)31st percentile+18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)15th percentile~ school

Female (2026)13th percentile~ school

Male (2026)12th percentile~ school

Disabled (2019)2nd percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts45%-19 vs state

Mathematics34%-19 vs state

Science18%-33 vs state

★

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Schools Near Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy

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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 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	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
Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy	Public	3-5	1503 Woodland Drive	Kingstree	29556	Williamsburg County	Williamsburg 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 355-7233	362	27	13.6	100.0%	21 (5.8%)	315 (87.0%)	6 (1.7%)	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.9%)	16.3	573^rd of 661 public elementary schools	13.3%		16.6	554^th of 639 public elementary schools	13.3%	19	42.0	38.8	55.1		37.4	32.2	33.6		18.1		$16,578	$1,910	$2,301	$4,211	$10,084	$2,283	$12,367
W.M. Anderson Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	500 Lexington Avenue	Kingstree	29556	Williamsburg County	Williamsburg 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 355-5493	364	28	13.0	100.0%	23 (6.3%)	321 (88.2%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.9%)								(n/a)											$17,213	$2,144	$2,383	$4,527	$10,507	$2,180	$12,686
Greeleyville STEAM Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	7 Varner Avenue	Greeleyville	29056	Williamsburg County	Williamsburg 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 426-2116	222	17	12.8	100.0%	8 (3.6%)	211 (95.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	30.8	452^nd of 661 public elementary schools	31.6%		30.2	448^th of 639 public elementary schools	29.9%	4	56.1	39.5	63.7		56.1	18.5	47.7		10.5		$28,236	$7,900	$5,349	$13,250	$8,707	$6,280	$14,987
Pee Dee Innovation & Leadership Academy	Public, Charter	2-5	209 Graham Road Bldg 300	Lake City	29560	Florence County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(843) 374-3500	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	24.5	506^th of 661 public elementary schools	23.4%					(n/a)	57.2	53.4			42.9	43.3	30.0		20.0
Main Street Elementary	Public	3-6	318 East Main Street	Lake City	29560	Florence County	Florence 03	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 374-2221	318	16	19.3	100.0%	6 (1.9%)	295 (92.8%)	12 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.6%)	4.1	656^th of 661 public elementary schools	0.8%		16.3	557^th of 639 public elementary schools	12.8%	99	32.3	34.4	29.2	31.5	13.8	3.0	14.6	9.6	11.8	23.3	$14,249	$2,262	$1,237	$3,499	$8,694	$2,056	$10,750
Lake City Early Childhood Center	Public	PK, KG-2	906 North Matthews Road	Lake City	29560	Florence County	Florence 03	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 374-2353	357	23	15.3	100.0%	14 (3.9%)	319 (89.4%)	11 (3.1%)	3 (0.8%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.7%)								(n/a)											$14,340	$2,440	$1,324	$3,765	$8,954	$1,621	$10,575
Walker-Gamble Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2358 Walker-Gamble Road	New Zion	29111	Clarendon County	Clarendon 06	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(843) 659-2102	547	34	16.0	100.0%	393 (71.8%)	117 (21.4%)	30 (5.5%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	68.1	205^th of 661 public elementary schools	69.0%		74.4	163^rd of 639 public elementary schools	74.5%	42	62.7	67.1	71.9		62.6	64.5	60.7		57.9		$17,563	$2,183	$929	$3,112	$10,880	$3,571	$14,451
Scranton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1649 US 52 Highway	Scranton	29591	Florence County	Florence 03	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 389-2531	389	28	13.8	100.0%	162 (41.6%)	186 (47.8%)	22 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.1%)	45	357^th of 661 public elementary schools	46.0%		36.8	400^th of 639 public elementary schools	37.4%	43	55.2	70.0	60.3	76.5	36.2	38.0	22.4	43.1	36.0	70.6	$13,464	$1,856	$1,093	$2,949	$8,995	$1,520	$10,515
Olanta Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	312 North Jones Road	Olanta	29114	Florence County	Florence 03	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 396-4457	198	17	11.6	100.0%	65 (32.8%)	119 (60.1%)	6 (3.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.5%)	19.2	545^th of 661 public elementary schools	17.5%		27.8	464^th of 639 public elementary schools	27.4%	81	31.8	56.0	45.4		31.8	48.0	27.3		24.0		$19,474	$4,108	$1,447	$5,555	$12,093	$1,827	$13,920

Frequently Asked Questions about Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy

What is the racial makeup of Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy?

Students at Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy are 87% African American, 6% White, 4% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 362 students attended Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy.

What schools do graduates of Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy attend?

Students who attend Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy usually go on to attend:

Middle : Kingstree Middle Magnet

What district is Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy in?

Williamsburg 01

Is Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy a good school?

Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy ranks in the bottom 13.3% of South Carolina elementary schools.

Rate Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy!

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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.