Best Elementary Schools in zip code 29304, South Carolina

Summary:

Zip code 29304 in Gaffney, South Carolina, is served by a single elementary school, Goucher Charter Academy, a PK-8 charter school within the Limestone Charters Association district, enrolling 244 students.

For parents considering this area, Goucher Charter Academy presents a mixed picture. The school’s greatest strength is in early elementary grades: 3rd-grade students outperform the state in both English Language Arts (66.7% vs. 64.1% proficient) and math (66.6% vs. 59.2%), and 5th-grade ELA is notably strong at 70% proficiency. However, academic performance declines sharply as students progress. By 8th grade, only 45.9% are proficient in ELA and a concerning 16.2% in math—less than half the state average of 44.2%. This pattern suggests the school effectively builds foundational skills but struggles to sustain academic growth through middle school. Mathematics is a particular weakness, with proficiency falling below state averages starting in 5th grade and worsening each year. The school also faces a significant challenge with chronic absenteeism at 31.1%, nearly double the state rate of 22.3%, which likely contributes to the upper-grade declines. Despite these issues, the school maintains a favorable 10.1:1 student-teacher ratio and spends $16,223 per student, indicating substantial resources are available but not translating into consistent outcomes. The school’s overall ranking places it in the 42nd percentile statewide (374th out of 649 schools) with a 2-star rating, a slight decline from the previous year.

With only one school in the zip code, families have no public school choice within their immediate area, making Goucher Charter Academy the sole educational option. Parents should weigh the strong early-grade performance and small class sizes against the steep academic decline in upper grades and high absenteeism. The lack of free/reduced lunch data limits a full understanding of the student population, but the school’s trajectory suggests that families with children entering middle school may need to seek additional academic support, particularly in mathematics.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()
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	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year

Cities Near Zip Code 29304

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Spartanburg	1.01 mi	33	115^th
Moore	5.56 mi	4	43^rd
Boiling Springs	5.57 mi	6	63^rd
Roebuck	6.49 mi	3	118^th
Cowpens	6.84 mi	1	61^st

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.

Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 29304

Cities Near Zip Code 29304