Clemson Elementary, Clemson SC - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Clemson Elementary

Clemson Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the heart of Clemson, South Carolina. It is part of the Pickens 01 school district. Because it serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate or secondary-level data to report; the school’s profile rests entirely on its academic performance in the tested elementary years.

The academic picture from state testing is strong. Across third through fifth grade, the share of students scoring proficient or above in English language arts was consistently well above most benchmarks, with every grade level clearing a high threshold. Mathematics performance was similarly robust, with fourth grade posting the highest results and third and fifth grades also showing solid proficiency rates. Science, tested in fourth grade, showed a slightly lower but still competitive proficiency rate. Older social studies results from the 2018–19 school year, before test changes, indicated very high performance, but these predate recent modifications to the state’s test cut scores for ELA and science, so direct year-to-year comparisons should be treated with caution. For the most recent year, the school’s overall performance across all tested subjects and grades is well above what many families would consider a baseline, and the data point to a school where the majority of students are meeting state expectations.

The student body is moderately sized for an elementary school. The enrollment is distributed fairly evenly across kindergarten through fifth grade, with a smaller pre-kindergarten program. Demographically, the student population is predominantly white, with Asian and Black students each forming a notable share, along with smaller groups of Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races. More than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a substantial share that indicates economic diversity within the school community. Data on special education identification and English learner status were not available in the provided information.

Clemson is a college town tightly identified with Clemson University, which sits adjacent to the city’s downtown. The university is the dominant employer and cultural anchor, and the town-and-gown relationship is widely regarded as strong. The built environment includes a compact, walkable downtown centered on College Avenue, with retail and restaurants, and more suburban-style development along the highway to the north. The city offers fare-free bus service through Clemson Area Transit, and an Amtrak station provides rail access. Lake Hartwell borders the city and supports recreation. Housing in the school’s zip code is priced above both state and national medians, with rents also running high, reflecting a competitive market driven by university-related demand and limited supply.

The district itself reported no recent changes of lasting impact in available public materials, so the broader institutional context appears stable.

For a family, Clemson Elementary presents a clearly positive academic track record in a setting defined by the university community. The school’s testing results suggest strong instruction in the core subjects, with particular strength in literacy and math. The student body is economically mixed rather than uniformly affluent, and the racial makeup reflects the broader Clemson area. Parents considering this school should feel confident about academic foundations, but families who want information on special education services, English learner support, or extracurricular offerings will need to follow up directly with the school, as those details were not part of the available data. The surrounding community offers the amenities of a vibrant college town, with walkable downtown access, free transit, and civic anchors, but the housing market is expensive. This school fits families who value high measured academic performance in a university-centered, mid-sized community and who are comfortable with the cost of living that comes with it.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 374%

School 74% · District 57% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 481%

School 81% · District 64% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Grade 571%

School 71% · District 53% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 379%

School 79% · District 64% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

Grade 478%

School 78% · District 71% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 577%

School 77% · District 68% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Science

Grade 469%

School 69% · District 55% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 592%

School 92% · District 76% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

This schoolPickens 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-income55%Higher-income93%38 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income54%Higher-income89%35 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income54%Higher-income90%35 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income49%Higher-income88%39 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income62%Higher-income89%27 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income47%Higher-income84%37 pp gap