Summary:
Zip code 29033 in Cayce, South Carolina, is served by a single elementary school, Cayce Elementary, which enrolls 977 students across grades PK through 5 and is part of the Lexington 02 school district.
As the only elementary option in this area, Cayce Elementary is the default choice for local families, but its academic performance is a significant concern. The school has ranked in the bottom 10% of South Carolina elementary schools for three consecutive years, earning zero stars in each of the last two rating cycles. Proficiency rates in English Language Arts range from 40% to 44% across grades 3-5, which trails the state average by roughly 20 points in every grade. Mathematics is even more troubling, with proficiency rates hovering around 30%—meaning about 7 in 10 students are not meeting grade-level expectations. The widest gap appears in 5th-grade math, where the school's 31.1% proficiency rate is 18 points below the state average. Science proficiency in 4th grade sits at 28.4%, also well below the state's 51.6%.
Despite these challenges, there are some positive signs. The school spends a substantial $16,104 per student—well above typical levels—and maintains a favorable 12.3:1 student-teacher ratio, suggesting manageable class sizes. Chronic absenteeism, however, is a major barrier, with 29% of students missing significant school days compared to 22.3% statewide. There is also evidence of progress: 5th-grade math proficiency jumped from 15.1% to 31.1% in one year, and the school's state ranking improved slightly. Still, Cayce Elementary underperforms its own district in every subject and grade level, indicating that school-specific interventions—particularly around attendance and math instruction—are urgently needed to close the achievement gap.
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