Summary:
Zip code 29101 in McBee, South Carolina, is served by two schools within the Chesterfield 01 school district, which currently holds a 1-star rating and ranks 59th out of 75 districts in the state.
For parents considering this area, McBee High (serving grades 6-12) stands out for its strong graduation rate of 88.7%, which exceeds both the district and state averages, and an impressively low dropout rate of just 0.6%. However, the school faces significant academic challenges, particularly in mathematics where only 19.8% of 8th graders are proficient compared to 44.2% statewide. The school shows notable volatility in its state rankings, fluctuating between 112th and 190th place over recent years, though it has shown improvement this year. Meanwhile, McBee Elementary (serving grades PK-5) has seen a steady decline in its rankings over the past three years, dropping from 360th to 457th. Despite spending $15,844 per student—about $2,400 more than the high school—the elementary school struggles with science proficiency, where only 27% of 4th graders meet state standards compared to 51.6% statewide.
Both schools share common challenges, including chronic absenteeism rates above 20% and math proficiency gaps that widen as students progress through grade levels. However, there are positive signals: 5th grade ELA proficiency at McBee Elementary nearly matches the state average, and McBee High shows a remarkable 19.6-point improvement between English 1 and English 2 proficiency, suggesting literacy interventions may become more effective over time. With favorable student-teacher ratios between 11.6:1 and 12.2:1, the schools have the structural capacity for improvement, but the data suggests that instructional quality and student engagement—rather than resources—may be the primary barriers to academic success in this community.
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