The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in English language arts. The lowest is 17% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Hendersonville Elementary
Hendersonville Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, part of the Colleton 01 district in Walterboro, South Carolina. The school draws from a surrounding rural area along Hendersonville Highway, outside the town’s historic core.
Its enrollment size is moderate for an elementary school serving this grade span. The student body is predominantly Black, with a smaller share of white students and modest numbers of Hispanic, multiracial, and American Indian students. Every enrolled student qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting a high-poverty school context. The district has not reported data on students receiving special education services or English learner supports, so those dimensions of the school’s support structure are not visible in the available information.
State testing results from the SC Ready assessment cover math and English language arts in grades three through five, and science in grade four. In ELA, proficiency rates across the three tested grades range from somewhat more than a third to just under half, with the highest share in third grade. Math proficiency is lower, with rates around a quarter of students meeting the standard. Science proficiency in fourth grade is below a fifth. An older test result for social studies in fifth grade, from a prior assessment, showed a similarly low rate. The state changed test cut scores in recent years, so direct year-to-year comparisons are not possible with confidence, and only one year of data is available for the current trends.
No graduation rate exists because the school does not serve high school grades. No discipline, attendance, or staffing data were reported. No program offerings such as gifted, arts, or afterschool activities were captured in the data. The school’s Title I status was not indicated.
The housing market in the zip code that includes the school shows home values below both the state and national averages. Estimated monthly mortgage costs are modest relative to national household income, and the price-to-income ratio suggests that homeownership is more accessible here than in many parts of the country. Rental costs, measured by the consumer price index for shelter, have been rising gradually, as they have nationally.
Walterboro, the county seat of Colleton County, has a population that has been roughly flat to slightly declining. It was founded as a Lowcountry summer retreat and retains a historic downtown with antique shops and a county courthouse designed by Robert Mills. Interstate 95 passes west of town, making it a stopover for travelers. The area’s economy includes government, healthcare, retail, and hospitality, though no single private employer dominates in the source material. A learning facility is in development at the Great Swamp Sanctuary, but no large-scale residential growth was identified. Schools, including Hendersonville, are spread across the district rather than concentrated in the downtown area.
The district’s recent changes, as reported publicly, were minimal enough that no lasting parent-relevant updates were found.
For a parent considering this school, the picture is one of a high-poverty elementary school where academic proficiency in reading is moderate, while math and science performance is lower. Because the school’s entire population qualifies for meal assistance, the student support context is one of concentrated economic need. The available data does not describe what specialized services or academic interventions are in place, nor does it show student attendance or discipline patterns. A parent may want to ask the school directly about these supports and about the specific initiatives the school uses to address the proficiency gaps evident in the test results. The housing market in the area is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks, though the local economy and population growth have been stable rather than expanding.
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