West End Elementary, Easley SC - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on West End Elementary

West End Elementary, a regular public school in Easley, South Carolina, serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Pickens 01 school district. The school occupies a spot along a major road through town, and for a family considering this area, the immediate question is what academic footing their child will find here.

The school’s state assessment results, from the most recent testing year, tell a mixed story that parents will want to weigh carefully. In third grade, proficiency rates in both math and English language arts sit solidly above half of tested students, forming a reasonably strong entry into the elementary years. Fourth graders perform similarly in ELA, and their math proficiency remains in a similar range. However, fifth grade shows a notable drop. Math proficiency falls sharply, and while ELA proficiency among fifth graders holds higher than math does at that grade, it is still noticeably lower than the third- and fourth-grade marks. Science, tested in fourth grade, lands near the midpoint, with roughly half of students meeting the state’s proficiency bar. Social studies data is older and used a different assessment and proficiency standard, so it does not offer a current comparison.

A single year of testing data cannot show a trend, but the pattern across these grade levels is one to examine. The drop in fifth-grade math is large enough that a parent may want to ask the school directly about instructional transitions, curriculum alignment, or support structures in that grade. It is not possible from this data to know whether this reflects a cohort effect or a broader challenge, but it is a focal point.

The student body at West End Elementary is diverse in its composition. White students make up the largest share, followed by Hispanic students, students identifying with two or more races, and Black students. Every student at the school qualifies for free or reduced-price meals under the federal program, which means the school serves a community with concentrated economic need. Information on special education identification rates and English learner classification was not available in this data.

The housing market in the area carries a typical cost that is above the statewide typical value, and rents have been rising at a pace notably faster than the national average. For a family moving in, this is a market where buying is the more expensive monthly option compared to renting, and the gap between the typical mortgage payment and typical rent is meaningful. The surrounding Pickens County economy has been stable, with a national unemployment rate near its recent range and median household income having held fairly steady in real terms in recent years.

The school itself is a standard public elementary school, not a charter or magnet, and it operates under the Pickens 01 district. The district brief turned up no recent major changes or strategic shifts publicly reported, so the school's program and priorities are likely consistent with what has been in place.

For a parent considering West End Elementary, the picture is one of a school with solid early-grade academics, a notable challenge in fifth-grade math that merits a direct conversation with the school, and a student population where economic disadvantage is universal. The housing context in Easley means affordability is a real consideration, but the community is part of an established district without recent upheaval. Families who prioritize strong early elementary foundations may find the school a good fit, while those with children approaching fifth grade will want to understand the support systems in place for that transition.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 57% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 461%

School 61% · District 64% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 53% · ▼ 25 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 357%

School 57% · District 64% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 71% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 68% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Science

Grade 448%

School 48% · District 55% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 576%

School 76% · District 76%

▲ 5 pts above state median · even with 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-income49%Higher-income83%35 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income39%Higher-income80%41 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income59%Higher-income79%21 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income21%Higher-income50%29 pp gap