James B. Edwards Elementary, Mt. Pleasant SC

Original Research by School Decision on James B. Edwards Elementary

James B. Edwards Elementary is a regular public school in Mount Pleasant serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It sits within the Charleston 01 school district. The school is substantial in enrollment for an elementary building, with all seven grade levels from pre-K through fifth represented. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a lower rate than what is typical for many public schools in the region and state.

The community this school draws from is Mount Pleasant, a large suburban town that has been one of South Carolina’s fastest-growing areas for decades. Its growth accelerated after Hurricane Hugo and again with the opening of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, which improved access to Charleston. The town has spread northeastward along a major highway, creating extensive suburban development. Housing values in the zip code serving the school are well above both state and national medians, and rents follow a similar pattern. This is a high-cost housing market. The town’s historic core, the Old Village, offers the most walkable streets, but much of Mount Pleasant functions as car-dependent suburbia, with commercial and civic life strung along the highway corridor rather than concentrated in a single downtown.

Academically, Edwards Elementary performs at a strong level across tested subjects. On the state’s SC Ready assessments, proficiency rates in English language arts were solid at each tested grade level, and the overall combined rate across grades was well into the strong range. Math proficiency rates were also healthy across grades, though slightly lower than English language arts. Science results, tested only in fourth grade, were solid as well. Social studies data is only available from several years ago and is not current. It is worth noting that the state changed its cut scores for English language arts and science in recent years, which can affect comparability from one year to the next, but the school’s current numbers stand on their own.

The school does not provide high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on special education identification and English learner status was not available, nor were measures of chronic absenteeism or discipline. Parents who want a full picture of how the school supports students with disabilities or language needs would need to ask the school directly for that information.

Programmatic offerings were not part of the available data, so there is no account of specialty classes, gifted services, or enrichment opportunities. The school’s type is listed as regular, and it is not a charter or magnet. Title I status was not reported, which aligns with the relatively low share of students from low-income households.

The comparison fact-set that would position this school against other districts in Charleston County was too small to generate meaningful rankings, so the picture here is largely a self-contained one. The district itself did not have recent parent-relevant changes such as bond referendums or curriculum shifts that were captured in publicly reported information.

For a family considering this school, the takeaway is straightforward. Edwards Elementary sits in a high-demand, high-cost suburban community and delivers consistently strong academic results on state assessments. The student population is economically advantaged relative to the state average, and the school’s performance reflects that context. The surrounding town is sprawling and car-oriented, with the amenities of the Charleston metro area within a relatively short drive. A parent who values strong-testing elementary schools in a suburban setting with a low poverty rate will find this school a good fit. A parent who wants robust data on special education services, English learner support, or specialized program offerings will need to gather that information directly from the school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 370%

School 70% · District 63% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 475%

School 75% · District 60% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 57% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 377%

School 77% · District 65% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Grade 480%

School 80% · District 66% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Grade 584%

School 84% · District 67% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 471%

School 71% · District 54% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 583%

School 83% · District 68% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above 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-income57%Higher-income86%29 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income62%Higher-income85%23 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income54%Higher-income78%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income46%Higher-income83%37 pp gap