Malcolm C. Hursey Montessori, North Charleston SC

Original Research by School Decision on Malcolm C. Hursey Montessori

Malcolm C. Hursey Montessori is a public school in North Charleston serving children from prekindergarten through eighth grade. It operates as a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and carries the Montessori name, which signals a particular approach to learning that emphasizes self-directed activity, mixed-age classrooms, and hands-on work. The school is part of the Charleston County School District, the same system that serves the broader region.

The school's student body is diverse and entirely qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a reflection of the high level of economic need in the community it serves. The largest racial group is White, followed by Black, then Hispanic, with a modest share of students who identify as two or more races. The school is small enough that every grade from kindergarten through eighth grade has fewer than 70 students, and the middle grades in particular are very small—fewer than 30 students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. The prekindergarten program is relatively large, suggesting a strong early childhood component.

State testing results from the most recent available year show a mixed picture. In English language arts, the school's students generally perform at a rate that is a strength relative to its own math outcomes. Across grades three through seven, proficiency rates in ELA are consistently above half, with seventh grade reaching the highest mark. Fourth grade also posts a strong rate. Math proficiency is more uneven. Third graders come in at a level that is respectable, but rates drop sharply in fourth grade and remain below a third through sixth grade. Seventh grade math is a noticeable soft spot, with a low proficiency rate that a parent may want to look into further with the school. Eighth grade results for both subjects are suppressed, which often happens when the number of tested students is very small. In science, fourth graders show a rate that is below half, while sixth graders top that, landing at a solid level. Social studies data is from an older year and not current.

Because the school ends at eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and no information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or course access was available in the data provided. The same holds for special education and English learner populations—those numbers are missing, so a reader cannot gauge the prevalence of those programs here.

North Charleston itself is a sprawling, car-dependent city with a deep industrial heritage. The former Charleston Naval Base and the current Joint Base Charleston anchor a community that has shifted from shipbuilding and military employment toward aerospace manufacturing, particularly Boeing's wide-body aircraft assembly line. Residential areas range from older neighborhoods near the former base to newer suburban subdivisions. The city's major employers are largely industrial and technical, and housing values and rents in the area are at a level that is high relative to national benchmarks, making affordability a challenge for many families. The school sits in a part of the city that reflects this mix of working-class and middle-class character, with commercial corridors and separated land uses rather than a dense, walkable grid.

For a family considering this school, the Montessori approach will be the central draw—it is an educational philosophy that appeals to parents who want a child-led, multi-age classroom environment within a public school setting. The academic data suggests that the school's students are stronger in reading and writing than in math, and that middle school math is a particular area of weakness. The 100 percent free-meal eligibility rate means the school is operating in a high-poverty context, and families should expect that the peer environment will reflect the economic realities of the surrounding community. The school's small size, especially in the upper grades, means children will be in very small classes, which can be an advantage for individualized attention. However, the lack of data on discipline, attendance, and special programs makes it hard to fully assess the school environment from this information alone.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 352%

School 52% · District 63% · ▼ 11 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 60% · ▼ 27 pts below district

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

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 57% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 49% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 715%

School 15% · District 49% · ▼ 34 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 359%

School 59% · District 65% · ▼ 5 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 461%

School 61% · District 66% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 67% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 657%

School 57% · District 63% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 765%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Science

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 54% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 662%

School 62% · District 55% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 68% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

This schoolCharleston 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-income33%Higher-income90%57 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income29%Higher-income80%51 pp gap