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R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy

Q: Is R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy a good school?

R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy ranks in the bottom 1.8% of South Carolina elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 391 students attended R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy.

Q: What is the racial makeup of R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy?

Students at R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy are 83% African American, 10% White, 6% Hispanic, 1% Two or more races.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

649^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy is a PK-8 school in Sumter, SC, serving 391 students in the Sumter 01 district, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Despite its "College Preparatory" name, this school is currently ranked in the 2nd percentile statewide (637 out of 649 schools) for 2025-2026, continuing a multi-year trend of bottom-tier performance. Academic proficiency rates are dramatically below district and state averages—for example, only 20.6% of 4th graders are proficient in math compared to 52.3% statewide, and 6th grade math proficiency sits at just 13.9%. The school spends significantly more per student ($18,431) than nearby schools like Alice Drive Elementary ($14,710) or Pocalla Springs Elementary ($15,138), yet achieves far worse outcomes. A particularly instructive comparison is Walker-Gamble Elementary in the neighboring Clarendon 06 district—just 11 miles away, serving a similar demographic, it ranks in the 69th percentile with 62-72% ELA proficiency.

The most pressing challenge is a severe chronic absenteeism crisis: 42.7% of students are chronically absent (nearly double the state average of 22.3%), up sharply from 27.9% the prior year and 11.6% in 2020-2021. This likely drives the low achievement, creating a cycle where students fall behind and disengage. There are a few bright spots—8th grade math (40% proficiency) actually exceeds the district average, and 8th grade ELA (42.9%) nearly matches it—but these are exceptions. The school's ranking has declined steadily from the 26th percentile in 2016-2017 to its current position. Nearby Liberty STEAM Charter School (53rd percentile, 15.2% chronic absenteeism) demonstrates that better outcomes are achievable in the area, suggesting that targeted interventions around attendance and instruction could help turn things around.

391

Students ?

12.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,257

Per pupil spending ?

89.2%

Directly certified for free meals (2023-24) ?

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

345 Eastern School Road
Sumter, SC 29153

(803) 495-3247

District: Sumter 01

Students who attend R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy usually attend:

High:

Crestwood High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

83.1%

White:

10.2%

Hispanic:

5.6%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 16th percentile in 2016 → 2nd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (27% vs 54% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 21% South Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school27%

District avg38%

South Carolina avg54%

Elementary school

649^th of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 15 pts since 2016

From bottom 16% (2016) to bottom 2% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

309^th of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 9%▼ down 1 pts since 2019

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	6.3	649 of 661	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.9	616 of 639	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.6	611 of 643	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.4	640 of 644	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.3	614 of 625	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.3	616 of 622	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.4	606 of 643	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.1	536 of 624	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	27.6	472 of 639	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.1	518 of 619	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	30.5	479 of 638	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	22.9	546 of 630	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	17.2	361 of 384	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.6	365 of 380	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.0	333 of 369	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.7	385 of 394	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.0	388 of 393	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.6	336 of 350	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.1	364 of 421	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.4	320 of 412	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	5.2	593 of 599	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.7	545 of 580	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.6	561 of 568	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.2	580 of 580	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.5	555 of 573	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.6	554 of 554	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.7	581 of 588	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.1	515 of 570	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	9.1	623 of 634	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.7	586 of 612	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.5	564 of 602	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.2	604 of 608	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.6	591 of 600	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.7	578 of 580	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.2	556 of 600	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.4	480 of 588	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	7.1	578 of 591	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	6.0	571 of 585	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.9	573 of 582	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.1	540 of 561	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.4	531 of 590	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.0	432 of 571	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	14.6	309 of 341	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.0	287 of 321	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.6	309 of 322	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.8	325 of 325	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.2	307 of 310	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.5	275 of 311	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.1	283 of 315	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.4	202 of 258	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.8	201 of 251	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.6	206 of 246	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	247 of 253	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.9	249 of 249	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	32.4	164 of 235	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.3	176 of 252	30.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	15.2	275 of 310	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.5	247 of 295	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.9	285 of 293	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.9	285 of 290	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.3	286 of 296	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.3	291 of 325	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.8	273 of 308	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.8	294 of 304	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.0	312 of 313	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.6	298 of 300	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.2	246 of 288	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.4	265 of 289	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	5.8	292 of 292	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.4	302 of 303	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.1	276 of 279	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.0	235 of 296	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

African American (2026)6th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)1st percentile~ school

Middle school

African American (2026)22nd percentile+12 vs school

Female (2026)11th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)10th percentile~ school

Male (2024)<1st percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts32%-29 vs state

Mathematics25%-23 vs state

Science19%-33 vs state

★

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Schools Near R. E. Davis College Preparatory 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 (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	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
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	$18,257	$1,573	$1,850	$3,423	$13,142	$1,692	$14,834
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		$18,168	$1,560	$2,110	$3,671	$13,052	$1,445	$14,497
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		$15,043	$1,591	$1,783	$3,374	$10,602	$1,068	$11,669
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		$17,835	$1,490	$1,521	$3,011	$13,254	$1,570	$14,824
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
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		$14,802	$1,438	$1,526	$2,964	$10,337	$1,500	$11,838
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		$16,662	$1,755	$1,793	$3,549	$11,779	$1,334	$13,113
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		$15,966	$1,655	$1,631	$3,286	$11,463	$1,216	$12,679
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		$12,921	$1,157	$1,424	$2,581	$9,130	$1,210	$10,340
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		$14,772	$1,374	$1,696	$3,069	$10,263	$1,440	$11,703

Frequently Asked Questions about R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy

Is R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy a good school?

R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy ranks in the bottom 1.8% of South Carolina elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy attend?

Students who attend R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy usually go on to attend:

High : Crestwood High

What is the racial makeup of R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy?

Students at R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy are 83% African American, 10% White, 6% Hispanic, 1% Two or more races.

What district is R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy in?

Sumter 01

How many students attend R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 391 students attended R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy.

Rate R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy!

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 12, 2026

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

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

2024–25 school spending dataNov 3, 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.