Summary:
ZIP code 29056, serving the Greeleyville, SC area, is home to two public schools in the Williamsburg 01 district: Greeleyville STEAM Academy (elementary, PK-4) and C. E. Murray Middle (grades 5-8), together serving roughly 379 students in a district ranked in the bottom 20% of South Carolina.
Neither school is a standout by state standards, but they have very different profiles. Greeleyville STEAM Academy is the more volatile performer, showing a dramatic "3rd-grade peak" with 56.1% proficiency in both ELA and Math, followed by a steep "4th-grade cliff" where Math drops to just 18.5% and Science to 10.5% proficiency. This inconsistency is puzzling, especially given its exceptionally high spending of $28,236 per student—the highest in the area—yet it still ranks in the bottom third of the state. In contrast, C. E. Murray Middle is the steadier school, with a stable state ranking in the 34th percentile and more uniform scores across grades. Its 8th-grade ELA proficiency (52%) is a clear strength, though its Math scores lag significantly, with a 20-point gap in 8th grade (32% Math vs. 52% ELA).
Chronic absenteeism is a major concern for both schools, affecting 24.2% of elementary students and 30.6% of middle school students—both well above the state average of 22.3%. While the middle school has shown positive momentum in its state ranking over three years, the district-wide struggles suggest systemic challenges. The consistent ELA-over-Math gap at both schools points to a district-wide weakness in mathematics instruction. For parents, C. E. Murray Middle offers more predictable performance, while Greeleyville STEAM Academy shows flashes of potential in early grades but struggles with consistency and resource effectiveness.
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