Summary:
Zip code 29527 in Conway, SC is served by two elementary schools—Pee Dee Elementary and Academy of Hope Charter—both part of the highly rated Horry 01 district, offering families a choice between a large traditional school and a small charter alternative.
Pee Dee Elementary is the larger and more established option, serving 927 students in grades PK-5 with a consistent 3-star rating over the past three years. Its academic performance is solid, with 3rd grade ELA proficiency at 64.9% and math at 58.5%, though math proficiency declines notably by 5th grade (47.4%). The school showed strong year-over-year gains in 5th grade math (+5.1 points), 4th grade science (+4.8 points), and 4th grade ELA (+3.8 points), suggesting targeted interventions are working. In contrast, Academy of Hope Charter is a much smaller PK-8 school with just 100 students and an excellent 8.3:1 student-teacher ratio, compared to Pee Dee's 13.8:1. However, its most recent academic ranking data is from 2018-2019 (1-star rating), leaving a significant gap in current performance information.
Both schools outperform district and state averages for chronic absenteeism, with Academy of Hope at 11.9% and Pee Dee at 16.0% versus the state's 22.3%. Academy of Hope spends slightly more per student ($15,327 vs. $14,291), but Pee Dee delivers stronger documented academic results at a lower cost. For families prioritizing proven test scores and consistent ratings, Pee Dee Elementary is the clear choice. For those who value small class sizes, personalized attention, and better attendance, Academy of Hope Charter may be worth investigating—though parents should request current academic data directly from the school given the outdated ranking information.
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