Summary:
Zip code 29835 is home to a single elementary school, McCormick Elementary, which serves grades PK through 5th and is the sole school within the McCormick 01 district, making the district's performance entirely dependent on this one school.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that McCormick Elementary offers a highly resource-rich environment with a very low student-teacher ratio of 10.2 and per-student spending of $27,076, which is exceptionally high. However, this investment has not translated into strong academic results. The school ranks in the bottom 20% of all South Carolina schools (530th out of 649) and holds a 1-star rating. The most significant academic concern is mathematics, where proficiency rates lag the state average by 12 to 22 percentage points across all grade levels. For example, only 27.3% of 5th graders are proficient in math compared to the state's 48.1%. English Language Arts (ELA) performance is closer to state averages, with 5th-grade scores nearly matching the state (59.1% vs. 62.5%), though 3rd and 4th grades still trail by 8 to 14 points. Science proficiency is also below average at 31% versus the state's 49.1%.
Looking ahead, the projected 2025-2026 test scores are concerning. ELA proficiency is expected to decline in every grade level, and math scores are projected to drop further, particularly in 4th grade (from 41.3% to 30.4%). Chronic absenteeism sits at 22.4%, which is on par with the state average. Given that this is the only school in the district, its challenges are community-wide. The clear takeaway is that while the school provides strong resources and small class sizes, parents should be aware that academic proficiency, especially in math, is a significant area of concern that may require supplemental support at home.
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