The top reported proficiency rate is 85% in English language arts. The lowest is 63% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Fairfield Magnet for Math and Science
Fairfield Magnet for Math and Science is a public elementary and middle school in Winnsboro that serves grades PK through six. It is a school within Fairfield 01, the countywide district, and it operates as a regular public school. The school’s enrollment is small, and the student body is predominantly Black, with a smaller share of White students and a modest representation of Hispanic and multiracial students. Every enrolled student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a detail that signals the high level of economic need across the school community.
The school’s stated focus on math and science is visible in its academic results. In math, the proficiency rates across tested grades are generally strong. The fourth and fifth grades posted high rates of proficiency on state assessments, while the sixth-grade math proficiency rate was lower, landing around the midpoint for the cohort. In English language arts, the pattern is similar: fourth, fifth, and sixth graders all recorded strong proficiency rates, with fifth graders reaching a very high level. The third-grade results for both math and ELA were suppressed in the data, which happens when the tested group is too small to report reliably. Science results are available for two tested grades; both posted proficiency rates that were solid but softer than the math and ELA scores for the same grades. Social studies data comes from several years earlier and is not current, so it is best set aside for the family that wants a recent picture.
Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to consider. The school community is also missing a number of data points that a parent might expect. Information on special education identification, English learner services, chronic absenteeism, discipline, and staffing levels was not available in the data. For questions about those areas, a parent would want to follow up directly with the school. The school’s comparison set was not useful here: Fairfield County has only one school district, so there is no meaningful neighbor comparison within the county.
Winnsboro is a small, historic town and the county seat of Fairfield County, set within the Columbia metropolitan area. The downtown has a historic core with sites on the National Register of Historic Places, a town clock that is among the oldest continuously running clocks in the country, and annual festivals. The town’s population has been declining over recent years, and no major new development projects were identified in available sources. Housing values in the area are below the national and state benchmarks. Civic life centers on the downtown, which includes the county courthouse and a public library. Historically, textile mills were a major source of local employment; current employer data was not found in the search.
The district itself did not show recent changes of note in the public record, so there is little to report from that angle.
For a family considering Fairfield Magnet for Math and Science, the picture is of a small school with a dedicated academic focus embedded in a community experiencing economic strain and population decline. The academic strengths in math and reading are clear, particularly in the upper elementary grades, though science proficiency is more moderate and sixth-grade math is an area where a parent might want to understand more about support structures. The school serves only through sixth grade, so a family would need to plan for the transition to a middle or high school within the district. The absence of data on discipline, special education, and staffing means those are open questions. The school’s small size and focused theme likely appeal to a family that values a close-knit environment and a clear academic identity.
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