Cherokee Trail Elementary, Donalds SC

Original Research by School Decision on Cherokee Trail Elementary

Cherokee Trail Elementary is a regular public school in Donalds, South Carolina, serving students from pre-kindergarten through seventh grade. It is part of the Abbeville County School District, which is also known as Abbeville 60. The school sits in a very small rural town where the economy rests on agriculture and two wood mills, East Teak Fine Hardwoods and Clendenin Lumber. Donalds has a low-density residential character, minimal growth, and a population that has shown only modest change over recent years. Housing values in the area are more affordable than the state and national averages, and rents are moderate for the region.

The school enrolls a moderate number of students for its grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with a much smaller share of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. A substantial portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the community. Data on special education and English learner populations was not available, and no information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing was provided in the available records. A parent wanting a fuller picture of those support areas may want to ask the school directly.

On state assessments, Cherokee Trail Elementary shows a pattern that varies by subject. In English language arts, proficiency rates are solid across the tested grades, with most students scoring at or above the state’s benchmark for readiness. Math results are more mixed; while a majority of students reach proficiency in the lower elementary grades, rates are somewhat lower by sixth grade. In science, fourth-grade performance is softer than the school’s stronger sixth-grade results, which are notably higher. Social studies data comes from an older testing year and shows strong results at fifth grade and more moderate results in seventh grade. Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate reported, and no advanced placement or dual-credit program data is available. The district-level comparison set covering Abbeville County includes only one district, so no meaningful comparative positioning can be made against local neighbors.

The district has seen a steady increase in its operating millage over the past few years, a rise in property taxes that directly affects family budgets. A state-level mandate also took effect requiring all public school districts to ban student cell phone use during the instructional day, and Abbeville County updated its policy accordingly for the current school year. Additionally, South Carolina’s READS Act has pushed evidence-based reading instruction and provided LETRS training for educators, a shift that influences how reading is taught in elementary classrooms across the district.

Cherokee Trail Elementary offers a standard academic pathway for elementary and middle school students in a small rural setting. The school’s literacy results are a noticeable strength, while math performance provides an area where families may want to follow up on how the school supports students who are not yet reaching the proficiency benchmark. The community is stable and quiet, with affordable housing, but rising district taxes are a factor for anyone considering a move into the area.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 69% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 11 pts above state median

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 61% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 43% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median

Grade 656%

School 56% · District 49% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 379%

School 79% · District 66% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median

Grade 478%

School 78% · District 72% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median

Grade 584%

School 84% · District 61% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median

Grade 673%

School 73% · District 67% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median

Science

Grade 455%

School 55% · District 49% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median

Grade 676%

School 76% · District 58% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 592%

School 92% · District 77% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median

Grade 769%

School 69% · District 82% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median

This schoolAbbeville 60, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income71%Higher-income86%15 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income59%Higher-income96%36 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income48%Higher-income86%38 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income57%Higher-income82%25 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income43%Higher-income77%34 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income48%Higher-income77%29 pp gap