Summary:
Zip code 29709 in Chesterfield, South Carolina, is served by a single elementary school, Edwards Elementary, which enrolls 538 students in grades PK through 5 within the Chesterfield 01 school district.
As the only elementary school in this area, Edwards Elementary serves as the primary educational option for local families. The school maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 14.5:1 and invests $13,528 per student annually. One of its strongest assets is attendance: the chronic absenteeism rate of 17.7% is notably better than both the district's 24.1% and the state's 22.3%, suggesting strong family engagement and a positive school climate. Academically, the school shows a remarkable upward trend in mathematics, with proficiency gains of roughly 10 percentage points across all grade levels from 2024-25 to 2025-26. In 5th grade math, 51.4% of students are now proficient, outpacing the state average of 49.1%. The school also outperforms its district in nearly every subject and grade level, often by significant margins—for example, 4th grade math proficiency (52.6%) exceeds the district rate (34.9%) by nearly 18 points.
However, challenges remain. While 5th grade English Language Arts proficiency (66.7%) surpasses the state average (63.6%), other ELA scores trail state benchmarks, particularly in 4th grade (48.8% vs. 65.4% state). Science is the most concerning area, with 4th grade proficiency dropping from 44.0% to 32.5% year-over-year, well below the state's 51.6%. The school's state ranking has remained stable around the 40th percentile (2 stars) for three consecutive years, though the recent math gains may signal improvement ahead. Overall, Edwards Elementary appears to be a relative bright spot within a district rated 1-star and ranked 59th of 75 in South Carolina, offering solid attendance, improving math performance, and a supportive learning environment despite broader systemic challenges.
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