Daisy Elementary, Loris SC - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Daisy Elementary

Daisy Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Loris, a small incorporated city in northern Horry County. The school operates as part of the Horry 01 school district. Loris itself was founded as a railroad town and retains a compact downtown core with a historic Main Street corridor; its population has grown modestly in recent decades. The area is inland from the faster-growing Myrtle Beach metro, and many residents commute to larger employment centers. Housing values in the community are near the national median for a small town, and the local rental market is somewhat more affordable than buying, though both have risen in recent years.

The student body of about that size for an elementary school is racially and ethnically mixed. White students form the largest group, followed by a substantial share of Black students, a notable Hispanic presence, and a modest number of students of two or more races. The school reports that every enrolled student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the community’s economic profile. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the materials reviewed; a parent may wish to ask the school directly about these populations and the supports provided.

On state assessments, Daisy Elementary shows a pattern that shifts across grade levels. In third grade, a strong majority of students scored proficient in both math and English language arts, a genuine strength that suggests solid early foundations. By fourth grade, proficiency in math dropped to just over half of students tested, while ELA remained higher, with roughly two-thirds proficient. Fifth grade saw further declines: math proficiency fell to about a third of students, and ELA to just over half. The fourth-grade science results showed just under half of students proficient. An older social studies assessment from several years ago, when the school participated in a different testing regime, showed a majority proficient in fifth grade, but that data is dated and the assessment has since changed, so direct comparisons are not possible.

Because the available test results come from a single year, there is no trend to examine. The state changed its cut scores for ELA and science in recent years, which adds a layer of caution when comparing to past performance. A parent looking at the drop between third and fifth grade may want to ask the school how it supports students as they move into the upper elementary years, particularly in math, where the decline is most pronounced.

The district, Horry 01, did not have recent publicly reported changes of lasting impact at the time of this profile, so no district-level context on strategic shifts or new initiatives is available. Daisy Elementary itself does not report program offerings such as gifted, arts, or magnet options in the data provided. The school’s environment is typical of a small-town elementary campus integrated into the community; Loris’s public library and annual Bog-Off Festival are local civic anchors. The school’s grade band means it does not produce a graduation rate, and the small size of the county’s district cohort prevented a comparative positioning against neighboring schools in Horry County. A family considering this school will want to visit, inquire about academic supports across the grades, and ask about the services available for the high-poverty population the school serves.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 373%

School 73% · District 63% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 61% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 55% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 373%

School 73% · District 67% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 464%

School 64% · District 70% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 557%

School 57% · District 67% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Science

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 57% · ▼ 12 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 565%

School 65% · District 80% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

This schoolHorry 01, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income73%Higher-income75%2 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income49%Higher-income76%27 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income73%Higher-income79%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income28%Higher-income56%28 pp gap