Cross Elementary, Cross SC - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Cross Elementary

Cross Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in Berkeley County School District, located in the rural, unincorporated community of Cross, South Carolina. The school sits at a highway junction in a very low-density landscape of farmland, wetlands, and lakeshore along Lake Moultrie. There is no downtown, no public transit, and no pedestrian infrastructure; the area is entirely car-dependent. The community has deep agricultural roots, and its civic anchors include the lake itself and nearby historic plantation sites, but most commercial and civic services are found about a half-hour drive away in Moncks Corner, the county seat.

The student body is small, reflecting the area’s low population. About three out of five students are Black, roughly a quarter are White, and the remainder are two or more races or other groups. Every student enrolled qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context. No data was available on the share of students with disabilities or English learners, a gap families may wish to explore with the school directly.

State testing results from the 2024-25 school year, using the SC Ready assessments, reveal a mixed academic picture with clear patterns by subject. In math, proficiency rates across grades three through six ranged from roughly one in six students reaching the proficient level in sixth grade to about one in three in third and fifth grades. Fourth grade math was slightly lower, and sixth grade math was the weakest area overall. In English language arts, outcomes were stronger. Just over a third of third graders scored proficient, about a third of fourth graders, two in five fifth graders, and nearly half of sixth graders. Science results, available for fourth and sixth grades, showed that about one in five fourth graders and one in four sixth graders met proficiency standards. Social studies data is older, from the 2018-19 school year, and used a different assessment with different cut scores, so it is not directly comparable; it is not included in this picture. Across all subjects, sixth grade ELA stands out as the strongest single result, while sixth grade math is the most concerning. Families should note that South Carolina changed its cut scores for ELA and science in recent years, which means these results cannot be trended against prior years with confidence.

Because Cross Elementary serves only through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. No data was available on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staff qualifications. The school does not offer a high school program, so course access information such as advanced coursework or career pathways does not apply.

The district, Berkeley 01, is one of the fastest-growing in the state, driven by development in the Summerville, Goose Creek, and Moncks Corner areas. Voters recently approved a large bond referendum to build new schools and make safety upgrades, and the district has redrawn attendance zones. Cross, being rural and farther from the growth corridors, is less likely to see immediate changes from that expansion, but district-wide shifts could affect school boundaries over time.

Housing in the Cross area has seen notable appreciation over the past two decades, and the cost of living remains below the national average. For a family considering this school, the setting offers a small, close-knit rural environment, but academic performance in math is a clear area of concern, especially in the upper elementary grades. The school’s relatively stronger showing in sixth grade ELA suggests pockets of solid instruction, but the overall proficiency levels, particularly in math and science, are lower than many families would expect. Given the high-poverty student population, these results should be understood in context, but a parent would be wise to ask about math intervention supports and how the school addresses learning gaps across all tested subjects.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 49% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 47% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 40% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 616%

School 16% · District 27% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 59% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 62% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 61% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 52% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Science

Grade 418%

School 18% · District 45% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 42% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 74% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

This schoolBerkeley 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.