Olanta Elementary, Olanta SC - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Olanta Elementary

Olanta Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in the rural town of Olanta, South Carolina. The town, located in western Florence County, is a very small agricultural community with a quiet pace of life and a historic Main Street of brick storefronts. US routes run through the town as Jones Road, which is also the school’s street address. The population of Olanta has experienced a modest decline in recent years, and the town has a minimal municipal footprint. No major new housing developments or commercial projects were identified in publicly available records. This is a setting where the local public school is a central institution.

Olanta Elementary is a regular public school in the Florence 03 district. Enrollment is small, and the school serves a student body where every child qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is diverse in composition: while the data does not provide counts for students with disabilities or English learners, the racial and ethnic makeup includes a majority of Black students, a substantial share of White students, and small numbers of Hispanic students and students who identify as two or more races. A single Asian student was also reported.

When it comes to academic performance on the state’s SC Ready assessments, the picture varies by subject and grade level. In English language arts, the proficiency rates across tested grades from third through sixth were roughly in the range that sits near the midpoint of the district’s schools. In math, the overall proficiency rate across those same grades was lower, and by comparison to other schools in its county, the school falls below the midpoint on overall proficiency. The data includes assessment results from a single recent school year and notes that cut score changes in ELA and science mean that direct trend comparisons to prior years are uncertain. Science results were also reported for two grade levels, with a moderately lower proficiency rate in sixth grade than in fourth grade. A separate social studies assessment from an earlier school year is also in the record. Parents may wish to discuss with the school how these patterns translate into classroom instruction and support.

Because Olanta Elementary serves only up to sixth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report. The school does not offer programs such as Advanced Placement or career and technical education pathways, as those are typically found at the secondary level. No data on chronic absenteeism or discipline was available in this profile. The district brief searched for recent parent-relevant changes but found no evidence of lasting shifts.

Housing in the Olanta area is notably affordable, with home values well below both the state and national benchmarks. The local mortgage rate environment and economic context reflect a broader national picture of moderate mortgage rates and stable unemployment. For families moving to the area, the cost of entry into the housing market is low relative to many other parts of South Carolina.

Olanta Elementary is a small, rural school where the entire student body qualifies for income-based meal assistance. Performance on state assessments in recent data shows a brighter picture in reading than in math and science. A parent considering this school would be choosing a tight-knit, low-cost community and a small school environment, and they may want to ask the school directly about the specific academic supports it has in place for the grades and subjects where proficiency is weaker.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 357%

School 57% · District 44% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 428%

School 28% · District 32% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 32% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 26% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 56% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 48% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 56% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 654%

School 54% · District 46% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Science

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 29% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 27% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 52% · ▼ 36 pts below district

▼ 56 pts below state median · ▼ 41 pts below county median

This schoolFlorence 03, 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.