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Cotton Belt Elementary

Q: Is Cotton Belt Elementary a good school?

Cotton Belt Elementary ranks 471 st of 649 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

471^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 649 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 27% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Cotton Belt Elementary is a PK-4 school in York, SC, serving 428 students within the York 01 district. While the school has solid resources—spending $15,517 per student and maintaining a favorable 12.7:1 student-teacher ratio—its academic performance has been on a steady decline over the past five years, dropping from the 61st percentile in 2018-2019 to the 27th percentile in 2025-2026, a 1-star rating.

In the most recent testing cycle, Cotton Belt trails both district and state averages across all subjects. For example, 4th grade ELA proficiency sits at 45.9% compared to 61% in the district and 65.4% statewide, while 4th grade Science proficiency is just 34.1% versus 47.9% district and 51.6% state. The school faces particular challenges with certain student groups: students from low-income backgrounds rank in the 11th percentile statewide (down from the 26th percentile two years ago), and disabled students have seen a dramatic collapse from the 62nd percentile in 2021-2022 to the 5th percentile in 2025-2026. Chronic absenteeism has also risen sharply from 15% to 24.6% over three years, though it remains slightly better than the district average of 27.6%.

The contrast with nearby schools is stark. Just 2.75 miles away, Hunter Street Elementary (also in York 01) ranks in the 69th percentile with 67.1% 3rd grade ELA proficiency, while Griggs Road Elementary in the neighboring York 02 district—just 8.42 miles away—ranks in the 88th percentile with 76.4% proficiency. There is one encouraging sign: 3rd grade Math proficiency has improved significantly from 32.8% in 2023-2024 to 50% in 2025-2026, suggesting recent interventions may be starting to take hold. However, the overall pattern of decline, particularly in serving vulnerable student populations, makes this a school worth watching closely.

428

Students ?

12.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,517

Per pupil spending ?

71%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1176 Black Highway
York, SC 29745

(803) 684-1947

District: York 01

Students who attend Cotton Belt Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	York Intermediate
	York Middle
High:	York Comprehensive High

Racial breakdown:

White:

54.7%

African American:

24.1%

Two or more races:

10.0%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Cotton Belt Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 52nd percentile in 2016 → 27th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (45% vs 59% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 25 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg56%

South Carolina avg59%

471^st of 649

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 27%▼ down 24 pts since 2016

From top 48% (2016) to bottom 27% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Elementary Schools in the York 01

35^th of 75York 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	27.7	471 of 649	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.7	485 of 640	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.1	444 of 638	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.0	391 of 644	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.7	397 of 625	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.1	312 of 622	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.6	249 of 643	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.4	251 of 624	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	58.5	251 of 639	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	52.0	298 of 619	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	50.8	302 of 638	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	43.6	390 of 630	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	55.0	300 of 599	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	47.3	358 of 594	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	30.9	467 of 597	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	40.7	386 of 589	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	45.8	343 of 580	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	49.0	336 of 577	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	53.0	287 of 566	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	64.2	210 of 559	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2005	67.2	184 of 557	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2004	58.1	245 of 550	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2003	52.9	278 of 542	48.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	42.7	217 of 393	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.0	258 of 412	37.4%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.4	147 of 154	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.5	142 of 174	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	62.5	58 of 151	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	86.4	13 of 189	93.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.8	425 of 589	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.0	405 of 581	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.4	378 of 565	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.4	382 of 580	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.1	322 of 573	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.6	302 of 554	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.7	280 of 588	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.4	197 of 570	65.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.2	554 of 624	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.1	552 of 613	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.7	442 of 599	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.8	360 of 608	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.8	424 of 600	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	45.3	321 of 580	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	67.8	185 of 600	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.4	248 of 588	57.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.0	438 of 583	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.4	458 of 586	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.6	434 of 568	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.1	340 of 582	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.0	417 of 579	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	49.0	283 of 561	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	65.3	202 of 590	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.5	286 of 571	49.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	11.2	418 of 454	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.6	430 of 460	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.0	402 of 441	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.9	390 of 463	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.0	376 of 455	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.2	306 of 439	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.2	257 of 472	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.9	256 of 457	44.0%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2022)45th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2026)28th percentile~ school

Male (2026)25th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)11th percentile-16 vs school

White (2026)8th percentile-19 vs school

Disabled (2026)5th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts49%-16 vs state

Mathematics48%-8 vs state

Science34%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cotton Belt 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	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
Cotton Belt Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1176 Black Highway	York	29745	York County	York 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 684-1947	428	34	12.7		234 (54.7%)	103 (24.1%)	42 (9.8%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (10.0%)	27.7	471^st of 649 public elementary schools	27.4%		25.7	485^th of 640 public elementary schools	24.2%	14	52.9	45.9			50.0	45.9			34.1		$15,517	$1,528	$837	$2,365	$11,729	$1,422	$13,151
Harold C. Johnson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	400 East Jefferson Street	York	29745	York County	York 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 818-6040	388	32	12.3		192 (49.5%)	92 (23.7%)	60 (15.5%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (10.3%)	47.7	323^rd of 649 public elementary schools	50.2%		27.8	468^th of 640 public elementary schools	26.9%	145	64.6	59.3			63.1	42.3			44.1		$16,699	$2,918	$910	$3,828	$11,385	$1,485	$12,871
Hunter Street Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1100 Hunter Street	York	29745	York County	York 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 684-1926	427	32	13.3		245 (57.4%)	81 (19.0%)	52 (12.2%)	9 (2.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (9.1%)	68	202^nd of 649 public elementary schools	68.9%		65.4	222^nd of 640 public elementary schools	65.3%	20	67.1	73.0			57.9	62.9			61.5		$16,545	$2,471	$1,261	$3,732	$11,439	$1,374	$12,813
Jefferson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1543 Chester Highway	York	29745	York County	York 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 684-1942	378	32	11.8		224 (59.3%)	81 (21.4%)	39 (10.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (8.2%)	54.8	273^rd of 649 public elementary schools	57.9%		61.2	246^th of 640 public elementary schools	61.6%	27	65.4	65.0			61.4	45.5			53.3		$16,006	$2,323	$908	$3,231	$10,738	$2,037	$12,775
Larne Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3598 Filbert Highway	Clover	29710	York County	York 02	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 810-8600	574	54	10.6		389 (67.8%)	73 (12.7%)	55 (9.6%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	53 (9.2%)	80	122^nd of 649 public elementary schools	81.2%		77.3	138^th of 640 public elementary schools	78.4%	16	73.9	73.1	76.4		72.8	70.5	67.7		57.7		$16,913	$1,540	$505	$2,045	$12,911	$1,957	$14,868
Kinard Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	201 Pressly Street	Clover	29710	York County	York 02	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 810-8700	463	36	13.0		261 (56.4%)	113 (24.4%)	36 (7.8%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (10.6%)	67.1	205^th of 649 public elementary schools	68.4%		65.8	219^th of 640 public elementary schools	65.8%	14	72.4	80.0	63.7		59.4	60.0	48.5		58.6		$15,152	$859	$496	$1,355	$12,000	$1,797	$13,797
Bethany Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	337 Maynard Grayson Road	Clover	29710	York County	York 02	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 810-8800	388	33	11.7		330 (85.1%)	5 (1.3%)	20 (5.2%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.2%)	74.9	157^th of 649 public elementary schools	75.8%		71.7	187^th of 640 public elementary schools	70.8%	30	79.2	69.1	77.9		71.7	54.6	63.3		54.5		$16,859	$711	$562	$1,273	$13,473	$2,113	$15,586
Griggs Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Griggs Road	Clover	29710	York County	York 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 631-8200	510	39	13.0		361 (70.8%)	47 (9.2%)	40 (7.8%)	12 (2.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (9.4%)	86.6	77^th of 649 public elementary schools	88.1%		87.8	63^rd of 640 public elementary schools	90.2%	14	76.4	86.8	71.2		75.3	74.4	68.1		74.4		$15,075	$629	$390	$1,019	$12,107	$1,949	$14,056
Hickory Grove-Sharon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	4901 Hickory Grove Road	Hickory Grove	29717	York County	York 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 925-2116	401	29	13.8		333 (83.0%)	21 (5.2%)	21 (5.2%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.5%)	48.7	319^th of 649 public elementary schools	50.8%		40.1	377^th of 640 public elementary schools	41.1%	58	64.2	63.3	46.3	61.8	56.7	45.0	43.9	40.0	46.7	49.0	$14,293	$2,096	$1,166	$3,262	$9,571	$1,460	$11,031
Bethel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6000 Highway 55 East	Clover	29710	York County	York 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 631-8300	353	33	10.8		263 (74.5%)	18 (5.1%)	31 (8.8%)	15 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (7.4%)	83.5	99^th of 649 public elementary schools	84.7%		85.8	78^th of 640 public elementary schools	87.8%	21	75.0	80.9	77.2		57.8	77.8	81.5		73.0		$19,415	$880	$1,958	$2,838	$14,499	$2,078	$16,577

Frequently Asked Questions about Cotton Belt Elementary

Is Cotton Belt Elementary a good school?

Cotton Belt Elementary ranks 471^st of 649 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Cotton Belt Elementary?

Students at Cotton Belt Elementary are 55% White, 24% African American, 10% Two or more races, 10% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Cotton Belt Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 428 students attended Cotton Belt Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Cotton Belt Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cotton Belt Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : York Intermediate
Middle : York Middle
High : York Comprehensive High

What district is Cotton Belt Elementary in?

York 01

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresNewAug 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.