The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Social studies. The lowest is 22% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Ridgeland Elementary
Ridgeland Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the town of Ridgeland, the county seat of Jasper County. The school is part of the Jasper 01 district, which has been the subject of a state legislative bill in recent years, a detail that may signal ongoing governance or operational attention at the district level.
The student body is diverse, with a composition that is roughly evenly split between Hispanic and Black students, along with a smaller share of white students and a small number of students who identify as two or more races. Every student at the school qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the economic context the school operates within. The enrollment is large for an elementary school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
On state assessments, the school's results show a mixed picture. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above was in the mid-thirty-percent range across grades three, four, and five. Math results were similar, with the third and fourth grades in the low-to-mid thirty-percent range and fifth grade reaching into the low forties. Science results for fourth grade were lower, with roughly one in five students meeting the proficiency bar. These are the most recent results available, and the state changed its cut scores for English language arts and science in this testing cycle, which means direct comparisons to prior years are not straightforward. Social studies data is from an earlier testing year and used a different proficiency standard, so it does not offer a current comparison.
The school serves a student population where every enrolled child qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a fact that places the school in a high-poverty context. The school does not have a charter or magnet designation and operates as a regular public school. Data on special education and English learner populations was not available in the source materials.
Ridgeland itself is a small Lowcountry town that has grown dramatically in land area over the past few decades, expanding its town limits far beyond their original footprint, though the population has remained modest. The town is oriented around I-95 and highway corridors, with a defined downtown square that hosts civic functions and seasonal events like the Gopher Hill Festival and a farmers market. The local economy includes the Ridgeland Correctional Institution as a major employer, and the town is actively positioning itself for industrial growth tied to the ports of Charleston and Savannah, with a new general aviation airport and business parks. The school sits within this town, and the district has been the subject of a state legislative bill, which may be relevant for families tracking governance issues.
Ridgeland Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is not a charter or magnet school. The school's enrollment is large for an elementary school, and the student body is majority Hispanic and Black, with a smaller white population. Every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context.
On state assessments, the school's proficiency rates in English language arts and math were in the mid-thirty-percent range across most tested grades, with fifth-grade math reaching into the low forties. Science proficiency was lower, with about one in five fourth graders meeting the bar. These results are from the most recent testing year, and the state changed its cut scores for English language arts and science in this cycle, which means the numbers are not directly comparable to prior years. Social studies data is from an earlier year and used a different proficiency standard, so it does not provide a current read. A parent may want to discuss with the school how these results compare to prior years under the old cut scores, and what the school's approach is to improving outcomes in science and math.
The school is a regular public school with no charter or magnet designation. Data on special education and English learner populations was not available. The school's environment is shaped by its location in Ridgeland, a small town with a highway-oriented layout, a defined downtown square, and a mix of residential and industrial areas. The town has expanded its boundaries dramatically over the decades, though its population has remained modest, and it is actively pursuing economic development tied to port access and manufacturing. The district has been the subject of a state legislative bill, which may be a point of interest for families tracking local governance.
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