Summary:
Zip code 29550 in Hartsville, SC, is served by 9 schools—6 elementary (including an early childhood center and a K-8 charter), 1 middle, and 2 high schools—totaling roughly 4,428 students, with most schools belonging to the Darlington 01 district, plus a charter and a specialized residential high school.
The standout is the School Governor's School for Science and Mathematics, ranked #1 in the state with a 100% graduation rate and near-zero chronic absenteeism (0.4%), though it serves only grades 11-12 and is highly selective. Among traditional schools, Carolina Elementary leads the pack—ranked in the 76th percentile (4 stars) with 85% 4th-grade math proficiency and just 5.8% chronic absenteeism, far better than the district's 23.4%. North Hartsville Elementary is the most improved, jumping from the 40th to 60th percentile, with strong ELA scores. Butler Academy, a charter, outperforms district schools in several ELA areas and keeps absenteeism at 14.5%, but its middle-grade math proficiency drops sharply to 27.9%. At the other end, Thornwell School for the Arts spends the most per student ($21,716) yet ranks in the 33rd percentile with 32.7% chronic absenteeism, while Southside Early Childhood Center has a troubling 32.2% absenteeism rate for its youngest learners.
Attendance is the clearest predictor of success: schools with absenteeism below 16% (Carolina, Butler, North Hartsville) all rank in the top 60th percentile, while those above 24% (Bay Road, Hartsville Middle, Southside, Thornwell) fall below the 44th percentile. Hartsville Middle shows a math crisis—8th-grade proficiency is just 27.5%—though its Algebra 1 pass rate is 93.6%, indicating only top students take advanced math. Hartsville High is declining, dropping from the 38th to 16th percentile with a 5.0% dropout rate, though English 2 proficiency is a bright spot at 71.9%. Encouragingly, Thornwell is improving rapidly (from 8th to 33rd percentile in two years), and Carolina Elementary proves that high achievement is possible within the district—making it a hidden gem for families.
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