Summary:
Zip code 29010, serving the Bishopville, South Carolina area, is home to just one elementary school: Dennis Elementary, part of the Lee 01 district, which serves grades PK through 5 with an enrollment of 359 students.
For parents considering this school, the most striking feature is the combination of excellent attendance and small class sizes paired with low test scores. Dennis Elementary has a chronic absenteeism rate of just 6.8%, which is dramatically better than the district's 25.1% and the state's 22.3%—meaning students are consistently showing up to class. The school also boasts a favorable 9.9:1 student-to-teacher ratio and spends a substantial $25,266 per student annually. However, academic performance lags significantly behind state averages. For example, only 38.9% of 3rd graders are proficient in ELA compared to 61.8% statewide, and 4th grade science proficiency sits at just 19.3% versus 49.1% for the state. The school also trails its own district averages in most subjects, particularly in upper grades—5th grade ELA proficiency is 34.5% at Dennis versus 48.8% for the district.
There are some encouraging signs. The school has shown a positive trajectory in state rankings, climbing from the 2nd percentile in 2022-2023 to the 7th percentile in 2023-2024, and then to the 10th percentile in 2024-2025. A concerning pattern emerges in math, where proficiency drops sharply from 44.5% in 3rd grade to just 21.8% by 5th grade, suggesting a need for stronger upper-elementary math instruction. Science is also a critical weakness. The high spending and low results raise questions about resource allocation, but the strong attendance and small class sizes provide a solid foundation. If the school can replicate its relative success in 3rd grade math across other subjects and grades, it has the potential to improve significantly in the coming years.
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