Summary:
Zip code 29372 is home to a single elementary school, Pacolet Elementary, which serves grades PK through 5 and is part of the highly-rated Spartanburg 03 district.
For parents considering this area, Pacolet Elementary offers a strong educational foundation, particularly in the early grades. The school has earned a 4-star rating and has improved its state ranking from the 64th percentile to the 73rd percentile over the past three years. In the most recent testing year, 3rd-grade students excelled, with 79% proficient in English Language Arts and 75.8% proficient in Math—both well above state averages. The school also shines in 4th-grade Science, where 67.2% of students are proficient, outpacing the state by nearly 16 percentage points. Additionally, the school benefits from a favorable student-teacher ratio of 15.8 to 1 and spends a substantial $16,799 per student, indicating a strong investment in resources. Chronic absenteeism is notably low at 17.8%, compared to 25.4% for the district and 22.3% for the state, suggesting a highly engaged student body.
However, there is a clear area of concern: a significant drop in performance between 4th and 5th grade. While 4th-grade math proficiency sits at a strong 75.4%, it plummets to 48.3% in 5th grade—a 27-point decline. Similarly, ELA proficiency falls from 68.8% to 55.4% across those grades. This pattern suggests that while the school builds a solid foundation in the primary years, students may struggle with the transition to upper-elementary curriculum. Furthermore, 5th-grade scores trail the district averages by roughly 8 points in both subjects. Year-over-year data also shows volatility, with 4th-grade math jumping nearly 16 points in one year while 5th-grade math dropped by over 12 points. For parents, this means the school is an excellent choice for younger children, but it may be worth monitoring support systems and interventions available for 5th graders to ensure continued success.
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