Estill Elementary

Estill Elementary is a small, rural school in Estill, SC, serving 196 students in grades PK through 4 as part of the Hampton County School District. The school has seen significant ups and downs in its state ranking over the past few years, currently sitting at the 12th percentile, which is the lowest among its immediate district peers.

The most striking trend is a sharp drop in 4th-grade math proficiency, falling from about 40% last year to just 17% this year—well below the state average of 52%. However, the school shows a clear strength in 4th-grade English Language Arts, where 60% of students are proficient, nearly matching the state average. This "tale of two subjects" suggests that while literacy instruction is working well, math and science (at 20% proficiency) need significant attention. It's also worth noting that the school has made notable progress in serving its African American students, with subgroup rankings improving substantially over the past two years.

One of the most puzzling findings is that Estill Elementary spends a high $15,985 per student and has a very favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.8, yet achieves the lowest academic results in the district. For comparison, Brunson Elementary has a much higher student-teacher ratio (18.5) but outperforms Estill in both ELA and math, suggesting that factors like instructional strategies and school culture matter more than class size alone. Another concern is chronic absenteeism, which spiked to 26.7% this year—higher than both the district and state averages. This recent increase likely plays a role in the academic decline, as students who miss school miss out on critical learning time.