Summary:
Zip code 29349 in Inman, South Carolina, is home to three elementary schools—Oakland Elementary, Inman Elementary, and New Prospect Elementary—serving roughly 1,718 students from Pre-K through grades 5 or 6 across two districts, Spartanburg 02 and Spartanburg 01.
All three schools earn 4-star ratings, but they have distinct strengths. Oakland Elementary is the academic leader and largest school (722 students), with the highest ELA proficiency across grades—reaching 80% in 5th grade—and a dramatic improvement trajectory, jumping 90 state ranking spots in two years. New Prospect Elementary is the science powerhouse, posting an extraordinary 81.1% proficiency in 6th-grade science, nearly 33 points above the state average, while also having the lowest student-teacher ratio (12.8:1) and lowest chronic absenteeism (11.2%). Inman Elementary excels in early-grade math, with 3rd-grade proficiency at 77.6%, but struggles with chronic absenteeism at 23.3%—the highest in the group and above the state average.
A key concern is the consistent decline in math proficiency as students advance: at Oakland Elementary, math drops from 76.7% in 3rd grade to 58.9% in 5th grade, and New Prospect Elementary falls from 55.7% to 44.7% by 6th grade. Spending patterns show New Prospect Elementary invests the most per student ($12,852) with the smallest classes, while Oakland Elementary achieves top results with the lowest spending ($11,766). Despite belonging to the higher-ranked Spartanburg 02 district, New Prospect Elementary in Spartanburg 01 outperforms in science, proving individual school quality can exceed district rankings. Families here have strong options, with Oakland Elementary best for overall academics, New Prospect Elementary for science and attendance, and Inman Elementary for early math foundations.
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