Summary:
Zip code 29801 in Aiken, SC, is served by 8 schools in the Aiken 01 school district, covering elementary through high school grades and enrolling roughly 3,900 students.
This area offers a stark contrast in educational experiences. At the top, Aiken Scholars Academy is an elite magnet school, ranked #4 in the state with perfect 100% proficiency rates, a 100% graduation rate, and minimal chronic absenteeism (2.2%). It spends over $41,000 per student, far more than any other school in the zip code. On the other end, Schofield Middle struggles significantly, ranking in the 13th percentile with only 24.1% average math proficiency and a concerning 48% chronic absenteeism rate. Among elementary schools, East Aiken School of the Arts stands out as a rising star, ranking in the 71st percentile and outperforming district averages despite spending the least per student ($12,989). Aiken High presents a mixed picture with a 79.8% graduation rate and a dropout rate three times the state average, while Oakwood-Windsor Elementary showed remarkable improvement, jumping from the 32nd to 57th percentile in one year.
Key takeaways for parents include a clear middle school math decline, with proficiency dropping from roughly 45% in elementary schools to just 24.1% at Schofield Middle. Chronic absenteeism strongly correlates with performance—schools with higher rates like J.D. Lever Elementary (34.1%) and North Aiken Elementary (33.6%) tend to have lower test scores. The district should prioritize addressing absenteeism, investigating the middle school math curriculum, and studying East Aiken's cost-effective arts-integration model. Aiken Intermediate serves only 6th grade and shows moderate performance, while the absence of free/reduced lunch data limits socioeconomic analysis. Overall, families in this zip code have options ranging from elite selective programs to schools needing significant support.
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