Summary:
Zip code 29506 in Florence, SC, is served by four schools in the Florence 01 district, including three elementary schools and one high school, with no middle schools located within the zip code itself.
For families in this area, Theodore Lester Elementary stands out as the top-performing elementary school, earning 3 stars and showing steady improvement in its state ranking. It leads the zip code in 4th grade ELA (71.7% proficiency) and science (54.5%), while also having the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 18.1%. Lester also benefits from the highest per-student spending ($18,734) and the lowest student-teacher ratio (12.0) among the elementary schools. In contrast, Henry Timrod Elementary performs well in 3rd grade ELA (70.7%) but struggles more in math, particularly at 5th grade where only 33.8% of students are proficient—15 points below the state average. McLaurin Elementary serves the youngest students (PK-2) and has no test score data available, making it difficult to assess its academic impact.
At the high school level, Wilson High posts a strong 93.2% graduation rate and a very low 0.8% dropout rate, both better than state averages. The school excels in English 2 (81.46% proficiency) and U.S. History (67.75%), and its Algebra 1 scores jumped 18 points to 77.09% this year. However, Wilson faces two notable challenges: chronic absenteeism sits at 36.5%—nearly double the rate at Lester Elementary—and English 1 proficiency is just 47.77%, a full 13 points below the state average. Across the elementary schools, math proficiency is a consistent weakness, especially in 5th grade, which could impact students' readiness for middle school and eventually Algebra 1. The lack of a middle school in the zip code also creates a pipeline gap, making it harder to track student progress between elementary and high school.
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