Best Public Schools in Zip Code 29628

Zip code 29628, serving the Calhoun Falls area of South Carolina, is home to just 2 schools—Calhoun Falls Charter School (grades 6-12) and John C. Calhoun Elementary (grades PK-5)—together educating roughly 278 students in a small, rural community.

For parents, the most striking difference between the two schools is spending and performance. John C. Calhoun Elementary spends about $24,135 per student—39% more than the charter school—yet its recent 4th-grade scores (57.2% ELA, 33.3% math) fall well below its district, Abbeville 60, and the state. However, the elementary school showed strong 5th-grade results the prior year (75% ELA, 50% math), and its chronic absenteeism rate of 12.4% is nearly half the state average. Meanwhile, Calhoun Falls Charter School, under the Charter Institute at Erskine, posts a standout 76% proficiency in English 2 and an impressively low 1.1% dropout rate, but its 8th-grade math proficiency is a concerning 4.8%—a dramatic drop from 20.9% the year before. The charter also maintains a strong 83.9% graduation rate and an excellent 8:1 student-teacher ratio.

The biggest takeaway is volatility. With only 119 students at the elementary and 159 at the charter, a single classroom can swing proficiency rates by 10 points or more. The elementary school’s ranking plummeted from the 67th to 28th percentile in one year, while the charter fell from the 54th to 13th percentile. There is no dedicated middle school, so 6th-8th graders attend the charter, which may contribute to the weak middle-school math scores. Despite these challenges, both schools beat the state average for chronic absenteeism, and the charter’s low dropout rate suggests it is keeping at-risk students engaged. For families, the elementary offers strong early-grade potential, while the charter provides personalized attention and resilience—though math intervention is urgently needed.