Spearman Elementary, Piedmont SC

Original Research by School Decision on Spearman Elementary

Spearman Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the Piedmont community of Anderson County, part of Anderson School District 1. The school is a regular public elementary school, and it sits on the Anderson County side of Piedmont, a small community that straddles both Anderson and Greenville counties. Piedmont was originally a textile mill town and is now a largely residential area with some commercial strips along Main Street and SC-86. Many residents commute to nearby Greenville for work, and the area is part of the broader Greenville-Anderson metropolitan region. The community has seen steady, modest population growth over recent decades.

The student body is predominantly white, with a moderate share of Black and Hispanic students, and a smaller number of students who identify as multiracial or Asian. More than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a substantial portion of families are in lower-income brackets. This is a mid-sized elementary school by enrollment numbers within its grade band.

On state assessments in the most recent school year, Spearman students performed well. In both math and English language arts, the school saw strong proficiency rates across the tested grades of third, fourth, and fifth. In math, the share of students meeting the state’s proficiency benchmark was solid in the lower grades and remained respectable in fifth grade. In English language arts, the pattern was similar, with particularly strong results in third grade. In science, which is tested in fourth grade, the school again posted a strong proficiency rate. A five-year-old social studies result from a prior state test showed high proficiency at the time, though that assessment has since changed. The school’s combined academic performance across all tested subjects and grades, when compared to other elementary schools in the county, placed it in the top quartile among those measured. It is worth noting that the state changed some of its test cut scores for English language arts and science, which means the most recent results may not be directly comparable to prior years.

The district that operates Spearman, Anderson 01, is in the middle of a major construction and investment cycle. Voters approved a large bond referendum in late 2022, the largest in the district’s history, which is funding a new high school to relieve overcrowding, along with renovations, additions, security upgrades, and technology improvements at other schools. Construction on the new high school began in early 2024 and is slated to open in fall 2026, which will eventually shift attendance boundaries and capacity across the district. The bond is being paid for through a property tax increase, which is a direct cost for homeowners. The district has also expanded its Career and Technology Center, adding programs in healthcare, welding, automotive technology, culinary arts, and information technology, though these are offerings at the secondary level, not at Spearman itself.

On the housing front, home values in Piedmont are at a level roughly in line with the state median, and a typical mortgage payment on a median-priced home would take a sizeable share of a local household’s income. Rents appear more moderate relative to income. This makes the area somewhat more accessible than some parts of the broader Greenville region, though affordability remains a consideration.

Because Spearman serves only elementary grades, no graduation rate or high-school-level outcomes are reported here. Data on chronic absenteeism and special education or English learner populations were also not available. A parent may want to ask the school directly about its support structures for students with disabilities and students who are learning English, as those details were missing from the profile. The school’s performance numbers are strong for an elementary school in this county, and its place in a district that is actively investing in new facilities and program expansion gives a sense of momentum, even if the direct benefits of high school construction and career-tech programs will be felt more by future students than by current elementary families.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 378%

School 78% · District 68% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 476%

School 76% · District 69% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 61% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 383%

School 83% · District 77% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 476%

School 76% · District 78% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 77% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 13 pts above state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 471%

School 71% · District 65% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 586%

School 86% · District 83% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

This schoolAnderson 01, 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 3Lower-income73%Higher-income94%21 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income66%Higher-income88%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income67%Higher-income82%16 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income70%Higher-income89%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income61%Higher-income93%32 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income53%Higher-income79%26 pp gap