Summary:
Zip code 29114 in Olanta, South Carolina, is served by a single school, Olanta Elementary, which enrolls 198 students across grades PK through 6 in the Florence 03 district.
As the only school in the area, Olanta Elementary offers a notably small, rural learning environment with a favorable student-to-teacher ratio of 11.6:1, which can allow for more individualized attention. However, the school faces significant challenges. Academic proficiency is generally below state averages across all subjects and grade levels. For example, 3rd grade English Language Arts proficiency is 31.8% compared to the state's 64.1%, and 5th grade math proficiency is 27.3% versus the state's 49.1%. A rare bright spot is 4th grade math, where the school's 48% proficiency rate exceeds the district average of 34.2%. The school has consistently earned a 1-star rating and ranks in the bottom 20% of schools statewide, with its state rank slipping from the 27th percentile in 2024-2025 to the 18th percentile in 2025-2026.
Perhaps the most pressing concern is the school's chronic absenteeism rate of 32.8%, meaning roughly one in three students misses significant school time—a rate 10.5 percentage points higher than both the district and state averages. This likely contributes to the academic struggles. Additionally, there was a dramatic year-over-year decline in 3rd grade performance, with ELA proficiency dropping from 50% to 31.8% and math from 57.2% to 31.8%. While per-student spending is high at $19,474, the low outcomes suggest that additional funding alone is not the solution. For parents, this school offers small class sizes and a close-knit environment, but they should be aware of the attendance challenges and academic performance issues that may require proactive support at home.
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