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Wilder Elementary

Q: Is Wilder Elementary a good school?

Wilder Elementary ranks 439 th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

439^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 34% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Wilder Elementary is a PK-5 school in Sumter, SC, serving 299 students within the Sumter 01 district. The school has shown remarkable progress over the past seven years, climbing from the bottom 7% of South Carolina schools to the top third—a jump of 163 positions in statewide rankings. It has earned a 2-star rating for four consecutive years, a notable achievement given the district's overall 1-star designation. The school serves a community where 100% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, yet it consistently outperforms district averages across most subjects and grade levels.

One of Wilder's standout strengths is its 5th grade performance, which exceeds district averages by nearly 9 percentage points in both ELA and math. The school also maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.9:1—better than nearby schools like Millwood Elementary (14.6:1) and Crosswell Drive Elementary (16.4:1)—suggesting more individualized attention for students. Per-student spending has increased significantly to $17,935, among the highest in the district. Interestingly, Wilder outperforms Millwood Elementary in 5th grade math (37.8% vs. 31.3% proficiency), despite Millwood ranking higher overall.

Chronic absenteeism remains the school's primary challenge at 29.6%, though this is better than nearby schools like R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy (42.7%) and Cherryvale Elementary (43.0%). The school's 2023-2024 rate of 22.0% shows it can achieve state-average levels. While test scores fluctuate year-to-year due to the small student body, Wilder's consistent outperformance of district averages and its upward trajectory make it a school worth watching for families in the Sumter area.

299

Students ?

11.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,835

Per pupil spending ?

82.2%

Directly certified for free meals (2023-24) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2023-24)

≥ 96%

Students (all grades) with required immunizations (2025-26)

975 South Main Street
Sumter, SC 29150

(803) 773-5723

District: Sumter 01

Students who attend Wilder Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Bates Middle

Racial breakdown:

African American:

70.6%

White:

21.1%

Hispanic:

4.0%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Wilder Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 41st percentile in 2023 → 34th in 2026

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Sumter 01

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (48% vs 58% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (28% vs 21% South Carolina)

!Ranking has slipped from its 41st-percentile peak (2023) to 34th (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school48%

District avg44%

South Carolina avg58%

439^th of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 34%▲ up 17 pts since 2016

From bottom 17% (2016) to bottom 34% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 13Elementary Schools in the Sumter 01

67^th of 75Sumter 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	32.9	439 of 661	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.8	451 of 639	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.9	409 of 643	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.7	383 of 644	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.6	431 of 625	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	13.7	541 of 622	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.7	596 of 643	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.7	506 of 624	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.7	467 of 639	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.4	514 of 619	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	27.3	503 of 638	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	27.6	501 of 630	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.0	198 of 384	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.7	203 of 380	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.9	188 of 369	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.5	147 of 394	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.5	160 of 393	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	23.3	302 of 350	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.7	357 of 421	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.9	292 of 412	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.7	384 of 599	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.0	470 of 580	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.5	400 of 568	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.3	342 of 580	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.8	442 of 573	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.9	518 of 554	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.0	566 of 588	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.7	478 of 570	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	28.7	473 of 634	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.1	448 of 612	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.7	384 of 602	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.7	336 of 608	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.0	404 of 600	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	10.3	556 of 580	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.3	568 of 600	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.5	489 of 588	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.1	416 of 591	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.8	424 of 585	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.6	359 of 571	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.1	361 of 582	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.7	380 of 579	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.5	474 of 561	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.5	534 of 590	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	22.4	461 of 571	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)48th percentile+15 vs school

Female (2026)36th percentile~ school

Male (2026)30th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)25th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts55%-9 vs state

Mathematics44%-10 vs state

Science36%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Wilder 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SC READY English Language Arts (2026)						SC READY Mathematics (2026)						SC READY Science (2026)		Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
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	Directly certified (2023-24)	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 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	Vaccination: Students (all grades) with required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	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
Wilder Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	975 South Main Street	Sumter	29150	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 773-5723	299	25	11.9	82.2%	63 (21.1%)	211 (70.6%)	12 (4.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.3%)	32.9	439^th of 661 public elementary schools	33.6%		29.8	451^st of 639 public elementary schools	29.4%	12	56.1	52.3	57.7				52.6	38.7	37.8				36.4		≥ 96%		$17,835	$1,490	$1,521	$3,011	$13,254	$1,570	$14,824
Lemira Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	952 Fulton Street	Sumter	29150	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 775-0658	342	28	12.2	93.2%	9 (2.6%)	287 (83.9%)	31 (9.1%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.5%)	10.7	621^st of 661 public elementary schools	6.1%		11.2	593^rd of 639 public elementary schools	7.2%	28	30.6	46.0	43.1				32.7	28.0	23.5				28.0		95%		$18,168	$1,560	$2,110	$3,671	$13,052	$1,445	$14,497
Kingsbury Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	825 Kingsbury Road	Sumter	29154	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 775-6244	514	38	13.5	73.5%	133 (25.9%)	336 (65.4%)	17 (3.3%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.5%)	28.8	471^st of 661 public elementary schools	28.7%		25.3	488^th of 639 public elementary schools	23.6%	17	52.1	60.0	51.4				44.9	38.7	24.2				44.0		≥ 96%		$16,662	$1,755	$1,793	$3,549	$11,779	$1,334	$13,113
Liberty STEAM Charter School	Public, Charter	K-5	15 Church Street	Sumter	29150	Sumter County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	No	(803) 830-5966	730	53	13.8	—	278 (38.1%)	365 (50.0%)	31 (4.2%)	6 (0.8%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	47 (6.4%)	50.4	313^th of 661 public elementary schools	52.6%		54	282^nd of 639 public elementary schools	55.9%	31	64.7	64.2	62.6				50.0	49.7	44.0				53.7				$14,780	$857	$686	$1,543	$10,429	$2,808	$13,237
Crosswell Drive Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	301 Crosswell Drive	Sumter	29150	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 775-0679	481	29	16.4	94.1%	11 (2.3%)	417 (86.7%)	41 (8.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.1%)	11.8	613^th of 661 public elementary schools	7.3%		7.2	622^nd of 639 public elementary schools	2.7%	9	40.3	42.7	47.3				33.9	25.8	27.2				26.9		≥ 96%		$15,043	$1,591	$1,783	$3,374	$10,602	$1,068	$11,669
Millwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	24 Pinewood Road	Sumter	29150	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 775-0648	602	41	14.6	62.8%	209 (34.7%)	318 (52.8%)	35 (5.8%)	14 (2.3%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (3.7%)	39.7	402^nd of 661 public elementary schools	39.2%		45.2	339^th of 639 public elementary schools	46.9%	63	61.1	54.9	60.1				54.6	45.0	31.3				47.7		≥ 96%		$12,921	$1,157	$1,424	$2,581	$9,130	$1,210	$10,340
Willow Drive Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	26 Willow Drive	Sumter	29150	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 773-5796	504	32	15.6	86.5%	60 (11.9%)	388 (77.0%)	37 (7.3%)	9 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.6%)	21.6	526^th of 661 public elementary schools	20.4%		14.6	566^th of 639 public elementary schools	11.4%	40	60.3	46.4	39.3				52.9	28.1	7.2				35.4		96%		$14,802	$1,438	$1,526	$2,964	$10,337	$1,500	$11,838
Alice Drive Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	251 Alice Drive	Sumter	29150	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 775-0857	530	36	14.6	63.9%	226 (42.6%)	232 (43.8%)	36 (6.8%)	20 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.6%)	79.6	127^th of 661 public elementary schools	80.8%		78	133^rd of 639 public elementary schools	79.2%	6	67.4	75.5	74.0				68.6	70.0	65.4				74.4		96%		$15,966	$1,655	$1,631	$3,286	$11,463	$1,216	$12,679
Pocalla Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2060 Bethel Church Road	Sumter	29154	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 481-5800	609	39	15.8	81.6%	214 (35.1%)	320 (52.5%)	35 (5.7%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (6.1%)	14.5	592^nd of 661 public elementary schools	10.4%		21.6	516^th of 639 public elementary schools	19.2%	76	46.0	49.4	46.8				40.4	28.8	20.8				23.7		≥ 96%		$14,772	$1,374	$1,696	$3,069	$10,263	$1,440	$11,703
R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	345 Eastern School Road	Sumter	29153	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 495-3247	391	31	12.8	89.2%	40 (10.2%)	325 (83.1%)	22 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	6.3	649^th of 661 public elementary schools	1.8%		7.9	616^th of 639 public elementary schools	3.6%	33	26.8	29.4	40.5	18.1	38.7	42.9	35.9	20.6	21.6	13.9	16.1	40.0	14.7	22.7	≥ 96%		$18,257	$1,573	$1,850	$3,423	$13,142	$1,692	$14,834

Frequently Asked Questions about Wilder Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Wilder Elementary?

Students at Wilder Elementary are 71% African American, 21% White, 4% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

What district is Wilder Elementary in?

Sumter 01

How many students attend Wilder Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 299 students attended Wilder Elementary.

Is Wilder Elementary a good school?

Wilder Elementary ranks 439^th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Wilder Elementary attend?

Students who attend Wilder Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bates Middle

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2024–25 through 2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 20, 2026

2025–26 school spending dataOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 12, 2026

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresAug 10, 2026

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.