The top reported proficiency rate is 63% in Social studies. The lowest is 46% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Berea Elementary
Berea Elementary sits in a residential area of Greenville, a city that has grown rapidly in recent decades and is known for its walkable downtown, the Falls Park on the Reedy, the Swamp Rabbit Trail, and a strong base of employers such as Michelin, Prisma Health, and Duke Energy. The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade and operates as a regular public school within Greenville 01, the largest school district in South Carolina.
The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of Black students and a smaller white population. Every student at Berea Elementary qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a high-poverty context. This matters for understanding what the school is up against and what supports a family may want to ask about. Enrollment data for English learner classification and special education services were not available in the profile, so a parent may want to follow up directly on how the school serves those populations.
State testing results for the 2024-25 school year show a mixed picture. In math, proficiency rates across grades three through five sit in a range where roughly half or slightly less of students met the state’s benchmark. Fourth grade was the relative high point, with a small majority proficient. Third and fifth grade were lower. In English language arts, the pattern is similar: fourth graders posted the strongest results, while third grade lagged behind. Science, tested only in fourth grade, came in just under half proficient. Because South Carolina changed cut scores on the ELA and science assessments in recent years, these results cannot be directly compared to prior years, which limits trend analysis. The only available historical data point is from the 2018-19 social studies test, which showed a majority proficient, but that is too old to be meaningful for current families.
What the data do not show is any trend over time. The academic performance summary provides only a single year of comparable data, so it is not possible to tell from the public record whether Berea Elementary is improving, declining, or holding steady. A parent interested in that question would need to ask the school or the district for multi-year context. Chronic absenteeism and discipline data were also missing from the profile, which is a gap for a school where household economic challenges are universal.
Berea is an elementary school, so there is no graduation rate to report. Similarly, there are no program offerings or course access data in the profile, which is expected for a K-5 setting where the academic program is the core curriculum. The comparison fact-set could not place this school relative to other elementary schools in Greenville County because the data did not produce a sufficient cohort of comparable schools for the proficiency index. That means the reader has no peer benchmark from the profile, only the raw results.
On the housing front, the zip code that serves the Berea area is moderately affordable compared to much of Greenville County. Home values are below the state and national medians, and rents are also lower, which aligns with the area’s historical position as a working-class neighborhood. The city of Greenville itself has been growing quickly, and the area around the school is a mix of residential and commercial development. The school is on Berea Drive, a short distance from major arteries, which matters for families commuting to the city’s major employment centers.
Berea Elementary is a neighborhood school in a high-poverty setting, serving a largely Hispanic and Black student body. Its state test results are moderate, with no clear strength in any one subject, and there is no single-year data to establish whether the school is gaining ground. The absence of trend data, English learner and special education counts, and chronic absenteeism numbers leaves meaningful questions unanswered. A family considering this school should prioritize a direct conversation with the principal about academic growth, student support services, and how the school addresses the challenge of universal poverty.
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