Mccoll Elementary/middle, Mccoll SC

Original Research by School Decision on Mccoll Elementary/middle

McColl Elementary/Middle serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in the town of McColl, a small rural community in Marlboro County near the North Carolina border. The school occupies a modern facility built on the site of the original school building, continuing an educational presence that dates back to the late nineteenth century. The town itself is compact, with a historic Main Street from its early-twentieth-century textile boom and a quiet, small-town character shaped by its industrial past and agricultural surroundings.

The student body reflects the diverse racial and ethnic composition of the local area. White students make up the largest share, followed by Black students, students who identify as two or more races, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. Smaller numbers of Hispanic, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students round out the enrollment, which is spread across all grades from PK through eight. Every student in the school qualifies for free or reduced-price meals.

State testing results from the most recent school year show a mixed picture across subjects and grade levels. In English language arts, proficiency rates vary considerably by grade. Third grade posted the strongest result, with well over half of students meeting the state standard. Fifth and eighth grades also showed proficiency rates above the midpoint. Fourth, sixth, and seventh grades fell below that mark, with fourth grade notably low. In mathematics, no grade reached the midpoint in proficiency. Third grade came closest, while fourth, sixth, and seventh grades posted particularly low rates. Fifth and eighth grades were in a middle range. Science results were also low, with the tested grades of four and six both showing proficiency rates well below the midpoint. Social studies data is older, from several years ago, and showed a modest rate at fifth grade and a stronger one at seventh grade, but these numbers predate any recent changes to state assessments.

Because the school serves only through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The school is part of the Marlboro County School District, which contains only this one district, so there is no basis for comparing McColl Elementary/Middle against other local districts on academic measures.

The school itself is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. The town of McColl has seen gradual population decline over recent decades and is not experiencing significant housing growth. Housing values in the area are well below state and national medians, and the typical home is affordable relative to incomes. The local economy is modest, with small retail and service businesses, local government, and the governmental operations of the state-recognized Pee Dee Indian Tribe serving as anchors. The district brief did not identify any recent major changes, such as boundary shifts, program overhauls, or leadership transitions, that would alter the school's day-to-day operation.

For a family considering this school, the key takeaway is that McColl Elementary/Middle is the only public school option in a small, quiet town. Its academic results are uneven, with English language arts showing stronger moments in certain grades and math and science generally falling short of state standards. The school serves a high-poverty population, a factor that families may want to discuss with school staff to understand what supports are in place. The school's size is moderate for a PK-8 building, and it offers a single, continuous pathway from early childhood through the end of middle school. Parents looking for a wider range of course options or higher overall test performance may need to explore options outside the district.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 35% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median

Grade 418%

School 18% · District 23% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 27%

▼ 17 pts below state median

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 16% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median

Grade 718%

School 18% · District 10% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 10 pts below state median

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 17% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 49% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 34% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median

Grade 557%

School 57% · District 45% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 34% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 18 pts below state median

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 38% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 40% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median

Science

Grade 413%

School 13% · District 17% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 16% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 20 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 36% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 40 pts below state median

Grade 743%

School 43% · District 46% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median

This schoolMarlboro 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.