Summary
Butler Academy is a public charter school in Hartsville, SC, serving 393 students in grades K-8 within the School Public Charter School District. It is the only school in the immediate area offering a continuous K-8 pathway, which means your child can stay in the same school from kindergarten through 8th grade without the typical transition after 5th grade.
One of the school's standout strengths is student attendance. Butler Academy's chronic absenteeism rate is just 14.5%, dramatically lower than nearby schools like St. John's Elementary (33.3%), Pate Elementary (39.1%), and Thornwell School for the Arts (32.7%). The school also excels in English Language Arts (ELA) in the upper grades—6th, 7th, and 8th graders posted proficiency rates of 74.4%, 74.4%, and 70.5%, respectively, far exceeding state averages and outperforming every other nearby school reporting data for those grades. Additionally, Butler Academy operates efficiently, spending $15,317 per student, which is less than many neighboring schools such as Brockington Elementary ($16,987) and Carolina Elementary ($19,903).
However, there are areas of concern. Math proficiency is consistently below state averages—for example, 6th-grade math was just 27.9% compared to 40.9% statewide. Test scores also fluctuate significantly from year to year, which may reflect different groups of students rather than a stable trend. While the school has shown it can achieve excellent results for specific student groups (like a 98th percentile growth ranking for female students in one year), it has struggled to maintain that consistency. Overall, Butler Academy stands out as a more stable and higher-performing option than its local peers, particularly for attendance and middle-grade reading, though math intervention and consistent academic growth remain key areas to watch.
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