Summary:
Zip code 29550 in Hartsville, South Carolina, is served by six elementary schools—five traditional public schools within the Darlington 01 district and one public charter school, Butler Academy, under the School Public Charter School District—together enrolling about 2,200 students across grade configurations from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
For parents, the standout choice is Carolina Elementary, which leads the area by a wide margin with a 76th percentile state ranking and exceptional test scores—85% proficiency in 4th grade math and roughly 77% in 4th grade ELA and science. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the zip code at just 5.8%, far better than the state average of 22.3%. North Hartsville Elementary is the most improved school, jumping from the 40th to 60th percentile in one year, with notable gains in 3rd grade ELA and 4th grade science. Butler Academy, the only charter option, shows strong 5th grade ELA (76.8%) but struggles in 4th grade math (32.5%). At the other end, Thornwell School for the Arts ranks in the 33rd percentile despite spending the most per student ($21,716) and having the lowest student-teacher ratio (9.8:1); its chronic absenteeism rate of 32.7% is the highest in the area. Southside Early Childhood Center serves only PK-K, so no test scores exist, but its 32.2% absenteeism rate is a concern for such young learners.
The most striking pattern is the inverse relationship between spending and results—Thornwell spends nearly $6,000 more per student than Butler Academy yet performs far worse. Chronic absenteeism appears to be the strongest predictor of success: schools with lower absence rates, like Carolina and North Hartsville, outperform those with high rates. Additionally, many schools show a troubling decline in 5th grade math proficiency, though Carolina bucks this trend. For parents, Carolina Elementary is the clear academic leader, while North Hartsville offers promising momentum; families considering Thornwell or Southside should weigh attendance challenges carefully.
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