Riverview Charter School, Beaufort SC

Original Research by School Decision on Riverview Charter School

Riverview Charter School is a public charter school in Beaufort, serving kindergarten through eighth grade. It operates as part of Beaufort 01, the local school district, but as a charter it has its own governing board and admissions process. The school is situated at 81 Savannah Highway, a location that places it within a community shaped by a mix of tourism, military presence, historic preservation, and coastal development.

The student body is moderately diverse. A little more than half of the students are white, roughly a quarter are Black, and smaller shares are Hispanic, multiracial, or Asian. A significant share of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making economic diversity a real part of the student mix. The school draws from families who have chosen it, which tends to produce a peer environment where engagement and investment in the school's mission are common. That choice factor matters here, because enrollment at Riverview is stable across grade levels, with cohorts of similar size from kindergarten through sixth grade, then a slight dip in the upper middle grades. The school does not report data on special education or English learner populations, so a parent whose child receives those services would want to ask the school directly about its support structures.

On state assessments, the school performs well in English language arts across all tested grades. Results show that a strong majority of students meet the state's proficiency bar in reading and writing at every grade level from third through eighth. That is a clear strength. Math proficiency is more mixed. In several grades, a middle-range share of students score proficient, though upper elementary and eighth grade show somewhat stronger math results. Science results are uneven: fourth grade shows a weaker performance, while sixth grade science is on much firmer ground. The state changed its science test in a recent year, so the results are not directly comparable with prior years. Social studies data is older and from a previous assessment, so it does not give a current read on that subject. Across subjects, the overall pattern is one of strong reading skills paired with math performance that, while solid in places, is not at the same level. A parent may want to explore how the school supports students who are not yet meeting the math benchmark.

Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The academic focus is entirely on the elementary and middle school years. There is no data on course access, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism, which means a parent should follow up on class sizes and teacher experience with the school directly.

Beaufort itself offers a distinctive setting. The downtown historic district, with its antebellum architecture and live oak-lined streets, is walkable and tourist-oriented. The city is the county seat and a hub for government, hospitality, and military-related employment. Nearby Marine Corps installations and a naval hospital are major presences in the local economy and bring a rotating population of military families. That military connection may be relevant for parents seeking a school that is accustomed to students arriving and departing across the school year. The broader housing market reflects the desirability of the area, with home values above the national typical level and rents climbing at a notable clip. Affordability is a concern for many households in the area.

The school offers a consistent academic program across eight grade levels under a single roof, which can appeal to families who want their children to stay in one school community through middle school. The charter structure means the school has some freedom in how it designs its curriculum and schedule, though no specific program details were available in the data. The district itself does not appear to have undergone major recent changes that would affect the school's operations.

For a parent considering Riverview, the profile that emerges is of a school with clear academic strengths in reading, a more uneven math picture, a diverse and choice-driven student body, and a location in a historically rich, economically dynamic, but expensive coastal city. It suits families who are comfortable navigating a charter school enrollment process and who value a school that feels like a community unto itself within the larger district.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 361%

School 61% · District 57% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 54% · ▼ 4 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 52% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 40% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Grade 757%

School 57% · District 35% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 31% · ▲ 32 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 374%

School 74% · District 60% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 63% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 576%

School 76% · District 62% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Grade 668%

School 68% · District 55% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Grade 777%

School 77% · District 58% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 880%

School 80% · District 55% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Science

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 48% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 662%

School 62% · District 47% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 590%

School 90% · District 68% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 789%

School 89% · District 60% · ▲ 30 pts above district

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

This schoolBeaufort 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-income66%Higher-income79%13 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income77%27 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income59%Higher-income91%31 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income58%Higher-income77%19 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income72%Higher-income82%10 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income68%Higher-income91%23 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income55%Higher-income65%10 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income72%54 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income49%Higher-income75%26 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income64%25 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income50%Higher-income64%14 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income46%Higher-income78%32 pp gap