Summary
Lemira Elementary is a PK-5 public school in Sumter, SC, serving 342 students within the Sumter 01 school district, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
If you're looking at Lemira, the most important thing to know is that academic performance is significantly below district and state averages across all subjects and grade levels. For example, 3rd-grade ELA proficiency was 30.6% compared to the district's 52.8% and the state's 64.1%. Math proficiency is particularly low, with 5th-grade math at 23.5% versus 49.1% statewide. The school has ranked in the bottom 10% of elementary schools statewide for the past decade. There is also a notable gender disparity: the school is significantly more effective for male students (10th percentile) than female students (3rd percentile), a pattern that has persisted for three years. Chronic absenteeism is a critical concern, with 45.1% of students chronically absent—nearly double the state average of 22.3% and higher than the district's 35.9%. This rate has also been highly volatile, swinging dramatically from year to year.
Interestingly, Lemira spends more per student ($17,779) than any nearby elementary school, including the high-performing Alice Drive Elementary ($14,710), and maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.2:1. This "high spending, low performance" paradox suggests the issue isn't a lack of resources but how they're utilized. The contrast with Alice Drive, just 3.5 miles away, is stark—Alice Drive ranks in the 81st percentile while Lemira ranks in the 6th. However, there are bright spots: 4th-grade ELA proficiency has improved dramatically from 27.6% to 46% over two years, approaching the district average. Additionally, Liberty STEAM Charter School, just 1.47 miles away, demonstrates that high achievement is possible in the same community, with a 53rd percentile ranking and chronic absenteeism of just 15.2%.
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