Midland Elementary, Galivants Ferry SC

Original Research by School Decision on Midland Elementary

Midland Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the Horry County community of Galivants Ferry, a rural and unincorporated stretch of land along the Little Pee Dee River. The school is part of the Horry 01 school district. Families who live here are in a very low-density setting, where the built environment is largely scattered farm buildings and remnants of a tobacco-growing past. There is no downtown or walkable core, and the community’s historic district is spread across fields. Residents who need employment likely commute to Conway or Myrtle Beach.

The school itself is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. Its enrollment is mid-sized for an elementary school serving this grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with a modest share of Hispanic students and a smaller representation of Black students and students of two or more races. More than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker that many families in the area are working with limited household income. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported, so a family with a child in those categories would want to ask the school directly about available supports.

On state assessments, Midland Elementary shows a pattern of solid academic performance. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above was north of half in third grade, climbed to a strong level in fourth grade, and remained above half in fifth grade. English language arts results were higher across all three tested grades, with proficiency rates reaching a high point in fourth grade and staying well above half in third and fifth. Science testing, which is administered in fourth grade, also produced a proficiency rate above half. These are results that many schools in the state would be pleased to report, and they suggest that a typical student at Midland is likely to meet grade-level expectations. Because the state adjusted the scoring standards for English language arts and science in recent years, direct year-over-year comparisons are not straightforward, so the current single-year snapshot is the most reliable picture.

Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and no advanced course data to consider. The school does not provide high school pathways, so families with older children will need to look at the middle and high schools that feed from this attendance zone.

The housing market in the surrounding area carries a typical home value that is a bit below the state average, and well below the national figure. Buying a home here is more affordable than in many parts of the country, though rising mortgage rates have made the monthly cost steeper than it was a few years ago. Renters also face a share of income going to housing that is in a manageable range. The community is not seeing rapid new development; one publicly reported change was a recent annexation that created a mayoral position, but large-scale growth or new subdivisions were not documented in available sources.

A parent or resident considering Midland Elementary will find a rural, low-density setting with a school that posts above-average proficiency results across the core elementary subjects. The peer group is not economically homogeneous, and a significant portion of families are cost-conscious. The school does not have the breadth of programs that a larger suburban or urban elementary might offer, but its core academic numbers are a clear strength. For a family that values a small-town, agricultural landscape and a school where most students are meeting or exceeding state benchmarks, Midland fits that profile. Those looking for extensive enrichment programs or a more urban environment would likely need to look elsewhere.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 63% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 474%

School 74% · District 61% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 564%

School 64% · District 55% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 370%

School 70% · District 67% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 480%

School 80% · District 70% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 67% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 57% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 588%

School 88% · District 80% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above 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-income66%Higher-income78%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income79%Higher-income84%5 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income65%Higher-income85%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income50%Higher-income67%17 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income67%Higher-income86%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income61%Higher-income70%9 pp gap