Summary:
Zip code 29055 in Great Falls, South Carolina, is served by two public schools—Great Falls High (grades 6-12) and Great Falls Elementary (grades PK-5)—both part of the Chester 01 district, which holds a 2-star rating and ranks 54th out of 75 districts statewide.
For parents, the standout story is Great Falls High’s remarkable graduation rate of 96.2% with a 0% dropout rate—both far better than the district (85.9% and 2.0%) and state (86.7% and 2.1%). This suggests the school excels at keeping students on track to finish, even though standardized test proficiency is mixed. In upper-level courses, the high school shines: Algebra 1 proficiency hits 83.07% (state: 73.95%) and English 2 reaches 77.77% (state: 83.79%). However, earlier grades show volatility—7th grade math jumped from 12.8% to 51.9% proficiency in one year, while 8th grade ELA dropped from 56% to 43.9%. These swings likely reflect small class sizes. The high school also spends more per student ($19,665) than the elementary school ($14,957), and its student-teacher ratio is favorable at 10.7:1.
Great Falls Elementary presents a more concerning picture, with its state ranking sliding from the 54th percentile (3 stars) to the 33rd percentile (2 stars) over three years. While 4th grade science is a bright spot at 55% proficiency (state: 49.1%), math is a consistent weakness—5th grade math proficiency is just 26.9% versus the state’s 49.1%, and 3rd and 4th grade math also lag. English Language Arts is closer to state averages, with 5th grade ELA at 63.5% (state: 63.6%). Chronic absenteeism is elevated at both schools (20.8% elementary, 23.3% high school), near the state average of 22.3%, which may impact learning. Overall, families should weigh the high school’s strong graduation outcomes and upper-grade successes against the elementary school’s math challenges and declining ranking, while noting that both schools offer smaller class sizes and some genuine academic bright spots worth celebrating.
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