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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 29123

At a glance

Schools

1,120

Students

Top rankedPelion Elementary424^th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Pelion Elementary up 79 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

Zip code 29123 in Pelion, SC, is home to 2 elementary schools serving grades PK-5, both part of the Lexington 01 school district, which is a highly-rated district ranking in the 81st percentile statewide.

For parents comparing the two schools, Pelion Elementary is the stronger performer overall. It enrolls 642 students and ranks in the 36th percentile statewide, while Forts Pond Elementary enrolls 478 students and ranks in the 13th percentile. Pelion outperforms Forts Pond in nearly every subject and grade level, with its best result being 4th grade ELA at 62.4% proficiency. Forts Pond does have a slightly lower student-teacher ratio (11.1:1 vs. 12.8:1) and marginally higher per-student spending ($17,826 vs. $17,679), but these advantages have not translated into better academic outcomes. Both schools spend around $17,700 per student, which is substantial, yet neither reaches state averages in most subjects. The most significant concern for both schools is chronic absenteeism, with rates of 34.1% at Pelion and 35.5% at Forts Pond—roughly 12 percentage points higher than the district and state averages of about 22-23%. This means approximately 1 in 3 students is chronically absent, which is strongly linked to lower achievement.

Math proficiency shows a troubling decline as students advance through grade levels. At Pelion, math proficiency drops from 56.6% in 3rd grade to 29.1% in 5th grade, while Forts Pond falls from 38.0% to 28.6% over the same span. Both schools trail their district significantly in math, with gaps of 20-28 percentage points in upper grades. There is also notable year-to-year volatility in scores, suggesting small cohort sizes or inconsistent instructional practices. While Pelion has shown recent improvement in its state ranking, both schools have trended downward over the past three years. For parents, Pelion Elementary is the stronger choice academically, but both schools face serious challenges with attendance and math achievement that would benefit from targeted intervention.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SC READY English Language Arts (2026)			SC READY Mathematics (2026)			SC READY Science (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Directly certified (2023-24)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SC READY English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 4th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Science 4th Grade	Vaccination: Students (all grades) with required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Pelion Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1202 Pine Street	Pelion	29123	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 821-2000	642	50	12.8	72.9%	422 (65.7%)	43 (6.7%)	131 (20.4%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (6.2%)	35.7	424^th of 661 public elementary schools	35.9%		23.2	503^rd of 639 public elementary schools	21.3%	79	54.7	62.4	49.4	56.6	43.0	29.1	43.0	≥ 96%		$16,328	$1,290	$689	$1,979	$12,628	$1,721	$14,349
Forts Pond Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7350 Fish Hatchery Road	Pelion	29123	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 821-2500	478	43	11.1	76.8%	287 (60.0%)	40 (8.4%)	114 (23.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.1%)	16.1	576^th of 661 public elementary schools	12.9%		21.9	512^th of 639 public elementary schools	19.9%	64	51.1	42.5	47.3	38.0	27.2	28.6	27.3	≥ 96%		$18,016	$1,641	$698	$2,340	$14,039	$1,637	$15,676

Cities Near Zip Code 29123

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Pelion	0.47 mi	4	143^rd
Gaston	7.23 mi	2	217^th
Lexington	7.8 mi	23	37^th
Swansea	8.73 mi	6	170^th
Wagener	10.2 mi	3	175^th

See the top SC South Carolina cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Carolina Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.