The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in English language arts. The lowest is 38% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on The Cleveland Academy of Leadership
The Cleveland Academy of Leadership is a regular public elementary school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and it operates within Spartanburg County School District 7. The school serves a student body that is predominantly Black, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of white students and students of two or more races. Every student at the school qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a fact that frames the economic context of the entire building.
State testing results from recent years paint a mixed picture. In third-grade English language arts, roughly half of students met the proficiency benchmark. Fourth-grade ELA was a relative bright spot, with a solid majority of students scoring proficient or above, but that rate dropped back below half by fifth grade. In math, third graders performed similarly to their ELA peers, with roughly half proficient. Fourth-grade math saw a noticeable dip, while fifth-grade math rebounded to a level comparable to third grade. Science, tested only in fourth grade, showed a result below half proficient. An older social studies score from several years ago, which used a different test and different proficiency criteria, is not directly comparable and is too dated to inform current decisions. The state changed cut scores for ELA and science in the period covered, which means year-over-year comparisons are unreliable for those subjects. A parent reviewing these results will want to discuss with the school how it supports students in math and reading across the elementary years, particularly in the upper grades where proficiency rates showed variation.
The school has no high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. There is also no data available on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, or course access through the sources used here. Because the school is an elementary that does not serve tested grades beyond fifth, missing high school metrics are a function of its grade configuration, not a gap in reporting.
The setting is a mid-sized city that serves as the county seat and a regional hub in the Upstate. Spartanburg has transitioned from a textile manufacturing center to an economy anchored by healthcare, higher education, and corporate headquarters, with a major BMW plant in nearby Greer. The downtown area is compact and walkable around Morgan Square, and the city has invested in protected bicycle infrastructure and a new minor league ballpark that opened recently. The city is also home to multiple colleges and universities. Housing values and rents in the school's zip code are below both state and national benchmarks, and the estimated monthly mortgage is slightly below the average rent, reflecting a relatively affordable market compared to broader trends. The district completed a major capital project with a new high school campus, which may influence long-term property appeal and school assignment patterns.
The school's overall proficiency index, which combines all tested subjects and grades into a single measure, places Cleveland Academy of Leadership in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Spartanburg County. That is a soft spot worth noting, though it is important to remember that this comparison is at the district level, not the school level, so it reflects how the entity lines up against a countywide set of school systems. A family considering this school will want to weigh the academic results against the full support a Title I school can offer, ask about specific interventions for struggling readers and math students, and consider how the school fits their child's needs in a community that has both revitalization momentum and affordability.
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