Pepperhill Elementary, North Charleston SC

Original Research by School Decision on Pepperhill Elementary

Pepperhill Elementary serves students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in North Charleston, part of the Charleston 01 school district. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. The school sits in a part of North Charleston that is a mix of older residential neighborhoods and newer subdivisions, set within a city that stretches across a large area and has a strong industrial and manufacturing character, anchored by employers like Boeing and Joint Base Charleston.

The student body is diverse. A substantial share of students are Black, a large share are Hispanic, and smaller shares are White or multiracial. Very small shares of students are Asian. Every student at Pepperhill qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population where all families meet the income threshold for this support.

State testing data from the most recent school year shows that in math, the share of students scoring at or above the proficient level was below the state average across the tested grades. In English language arts, grade three and grade five proficiency rates were also below the state average, while grade four proficiency came in closer to the middle of the range. In science, the share of fourth graders reaching proficiency was low. Social studies data is only available from an earlier year, so a current comparison is not possible. The district brief did not identify any recent major changes or initiatives that would meaningfully shift a parent’s understanding of what the school offers.

Because Pepperhill serves only elementary grades, there is no high school graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data was not available. Civil rights data, including discipline and staffing information, was also not available in the record reviewed.

The school provides a general elementary education pathway. There is no data on program offerings such as gifted education, arts specialization, or career exposure at this level, and no information about student-to-staff ratios or class sizes is present in the available data. A parent may want to ask the school directly about these details, as well as about the school’s approach to supporting the academic needs reflected in the testing results, particularly in math and science, where proficiency rates were lower.

The housing market in the area shows home values and rents that are substantial, reflecting the broader Charleston region’s cost pressures. The school’s location means families are likely car-dependent for getting there, given North Charleston’s spread-out, suburban development pattern.

Overall, Pepperhill Elementary is a school where every student is from a low-income household, the student body is racially and ethnically diverse, and state test results indicate that a parent will want to understand the school’s academic support systems, especially in math and science. The available data does not show a narrative of programmatic depth or standout performance; it describes a typical neighborhood elementary school in a working city with an industrial history and a growing population.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 316%

School 16% · District 63% · ▼ 47 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 38 pts below county median

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 60% · ▼ 34 pts below district

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

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 57% · ▼ 33 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 65% · ▼ 36 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 66% · ▼ 25 pts below district

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

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 67% · ▼ 35 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 413%

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

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 68% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 22 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-income31%Higher-income23%8 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income21%Higher-income5%16 pp gap