Summary:
Zip code 29456 in Ladson, South Carolina, is served by 6 schools—4 elementary and 2 middle schools—spanning three districts, with no high schools in the immediate area, meaning students must leave the zip code for 9th-12th grade.
Families in this area face a sharply divided educational landscape. The standout is Joseph R. Pye Elementary, which ranks in the 82nd percentile statewide and outperforms every other school in the zip code by wide margins—its 3rd grade math proficiency (79.8%) is roughly 20 points above the district average and nearly 55 points higher than Ladson Elementary's 3rd grade math (20.8%). It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism (15.8%) in the area. Oakbrook Middle is the strongest middle school option, with a 67th percentile rank and perfect 100% proficiency on the Algebra 1 EOCEP. At the other end, College Park Middle ranks in the 16th percentile with math proficiency below 30% in every grade, and Ladson Elementary posts the lowest ELA scores in the zip code (40.5% average) alongside a 30.2% chronic absenteeism rate—the highest in the area.
District boundaries matter enormously here. Schools in Dorchester 02 (including Oakbrook Elementary) consistently outperform those in Berkeley 01 (College Park Elementary and College Park Middle), while Charleston 01's Ladson Elementary lags despite spending the most per student ($19,704). Notably, both middle schools report 100% Algebra 1 EOCEP proficiency despite College Park Middle's low grade-level math scores—likely reflecting that only advanced students take that exam. For parents, choosing a home in the Dorchester 02 attendance zone, particularly near Joseph R. Pye Elementary, offers the clearest path to strong academic outcomes in this zip code.
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