The top reported proficiency rate is 80% in Social studies. The lowest is 46% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Ruby Elementary
Ruby Elementary is a regular public school in the small, rural town of Ruby in northern Chesterfield County, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The community, originally settled as Flint Hill and incorporated around the arrival of the Cheraw & Lancaster Railroad, has seen a decline in population in recent years and remains a quiet residential town with limited commercial activity. The school draws its students from this area, and the district, Chesterfield 01, has no major recent changes publicly reported that would affect families.
The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Every student at Ruby Elementary qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which reflects the high level of economic need in the community. That is a plain fact about the peer environment: almost all families are in similar economic circumstances, and the school is a Title I school (the data indicates Title I status is not specified, but the 100 percent free-lunch rate means it almost certainly qualifies). The school does not report data on students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
In terms of academic performance, Ruby Elementary participates in South Carolina’s SC Ready assessments for math, English language arts, and science. The most recent results, from the 2024-25 school year, show that proficiency rates vary by grade and subject. In ELA, roughly half of third and fifth graders met the proficiency threshold, while fourth graders had a higher rate. In math, fourth graders also performed above the other grades, while third and fifth graders were lower. Fourth graders were assessed in science, and a little over half met the bar. These results are a single snapshot, and the state changed its cut scores for ELA and science in this year, which makes year-to-year comparisons unreliable. The school also has social studies data from 2018-19, but that is several years old and used a different assessment with different cut scores, so it should be considered separately.
The overall picture is of a school where academic proficiency rates sit in a wide range, with some grade-level subjects showing around half of students meeting standards and others closer to two-fifths. There is no single summary score that captures the school; performance differs notably by grade. Because the school only serves elementary grades, there is no graduation rate or secondary course access to consider.
Housing in Ruby is modestly priced compared to the state and national averages, and the area’s median home values have seen a slight decline over the past year. The town’s population has been decreasing, and no major new development projects were identified in available sources. For families considering a move, this means a stable but not growing local housing market. The school itself is located on Thurman Avenue in Ruby; the nearest larger town with more services is Chesterfield, a short drive east.
The data does not include information on discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, or course access, so a parent interested in those aspects would need to follow up with the school or district directly.
Ruby Elementary is a small school in a shrinking rural community, with a high-need student population and academic results that vary by grade. It serves a clear function: providing elementary education in a quiet part of Chesterfield County, where housing is affordable and the pace of life is slow. The school’s profile fits families who are already rooted in the area and those looking for a small-town setting with a straightforward, no-frills public school.
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