Summary:
Zip code 29153 in Sumter, South Carolina, is served by a single elementary school, R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy, a PK-8 institution within the Sumter 01 district, enrolling 391 students.
For parents considering this school, the most pressing concern is the alarmingly high chronic absenteeism rate of 42.7%, which is nearly double the state average of 22.3%. This means almost half of the students are missing significant instructional time, which directly undermines academic progress. The school has received 0 stars for three consecutive years and ranks in the bottom 2-5% of all South Carolina schools. While per-student spending is high at $18,431 and the student-teacher ratio is a favorable 12.8:1, these resources cannot compensate for students who are not in class. The district itself ranks in the bottom 11% statewide, providing important context for the school's performance.
Despite these challenges, there are signs of positive momentum. Mathematics proficiency improved dramatically across nearly all grade levels from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, with 8th grade jumping from 14.9% to 40.0% and 7th grade rising from 4.4% to 16.1%. English Language Arts also showed gains in 5th and 8th grades. However, performance is highly inconsistent by grade level—8th grade ELA proficiency (42.9%) is more than double the 6th grade rate (18.1%), and 6th grade science collapsed from 40.4% to 22.7%. The school's "College Preparatory" branding contrasts sharply with its bottom-2% ranking, suggesting the curriculum may not be effectively implemented. For parents, the critical takeaway is that while the school has resources and shows pockets of improvement, the absenteeism crisis must be addressed before meaningful, school-wide progress can occur.
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