Summary:
There are four elementary schools serving zip code 29488 in Walterboro, SC, all part of the Colleton 01 school district, which ranks in the bottom 4% of districts statewide and serves grades PK through 5 depending on the school.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that this district faces significant systemic challenges, with chronic absenteeism nearly double the state average and test scores well below state norms across all schools. That said, Northside Elementary stands out as the relative academic leader, holding the highest state ranking (578th out of 649) and a 1-star rating. It posts the strongest math scores in the group, especially in 3rd grade (37.7% proficient), despite having the highest student-teacher ratio (14.7:1) and the lowest per-student spending ($15,966). Forest Hills Elementary is a close second, also earning 1 star, and excels in 4th-grade science (30.3% proficient, above the district average) while maintaining the lowest student-teacher ratio (12.4:1). Hendersonville Elementary is the lowest-ranked school (3rd percentile, 0 stars) and shows a troubling pattern of declining performance, with 5th-grade ELA proficiency at just 25.6% and 5th-grade math at 17.1%.
Meanwhile, Black Street Early Childhood Center serves only PK-K students and spends far more per student ($26,046) than any other school, reflecting the higher costs of early childhood education. However, it also has the highest chronic absenteeism rate at 52.1%, meaning over half of its youngest learners are missing significant school days. Across all four schools, absenteeism is alarmingly high (ranging from 37.9% to 52.1%), which likely drives the low academic outcomes. Parents should be aware that while no school here is a high performer, Northside and Forest Hills offer relatively stronger academics, and the district's struggles are systemic rather than isolated to any single school.
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