Summary:
Zip code 29554, serving the Hemingway, SC area, is home to two elementary schools—Pleasant Hill Elementary STREAM Academy and Hemingway Elementary—both serving grades PK-5 with small enrollments of roughly 270-300 students each, though they belong to different districts (Georgetown 01 and Williamsburg 01, respectively).
These two schools present a stark contrast in performance and school climate. Pleasant Hill Elementary STREAM Academy is the clear standout, earning a 2-star rating (32nd percentile) compared to Hemingway Elementary's 1-star rating (19th percentile). Pleasant Hill excels particularly in 4th grade, with 86.9% ELA and 76.3% math proficiency—far exceeding state averages—while Hemingway lags behind in nearly every subject. The most striking difference is chronic absenteeism: Hemingway's rate is a concerning 41.0%, nearly double the state average of 22.3%, while Pleasant Hill's is a healthier 17.1%. This attendance gap likely explains much of the academic disparity, as students who aren't in class can't learn. Interestingly, Hemingway actually spends slightly more per student ($19,312 vs. $18,930), showing that money alone doesn't drive success.
Both schools share a troubling pattern: a dramatic collapse in 5th-grade math proficiency. Pleasant Hill drops from 76.3% in 4th grade to just 20.7% in 5th, while Hemingway falls from 55.5% to 19.4%—both well below the state average of 49.1%. This suggests a systemic curriculum alignment issue that parents should be aware of. Additionally, both schools show significant year-to-year score volatility due to their small class sizes, so single-year data can be misleading. For parents, Pleasant Hill is clearly the stronger choice academically, with better attendance and a specialized STREAM focus, while Hemingway Elementary faces serious challenges that would warrant a closer look at support services and attendance interventions.
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