The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in Social studies. The lowest is 23% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy
Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy is a regular public elementary school in Kingstree, South Carolina, serving grades three through five. It sits within the Williamsburg 01 school district, which in recent years restructured several of its schools; Kenneth Gardner Elementary was renamed Kenneth Gardner Leadership Academy, part of a district-wide shift toward themed or magnet-style programs. For families considering the school, that rebranding signals a change in emphasis, though the school remains a standard elementary school in its grade band and operations.
Kingstree is a small rural town and the county seat of Williamsburg County. Its population has been declining, and the local economy is modest, with a median household income well below national averages and a poverty rate that is high. The town’s civic anchors include the historic courthouse, the Black River, and annual festivals, but there is little recent development pressure. Housing values in the area are low, and the overall economic context suggests limited resources for the school community. The school itself is located in a residential area on Woodland Drive.
The student body is small for an elementary school serving three grades. Nearly every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the area’s economic circumstances. The enrollment is overwhelmingly Black, with small shares of white students and a handful of students from other racial backgrounds. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
State testing results from the 2024-25 school year, using South Carolina’s SC Ready assessments, show a mixed picture. In math, proficiency rates across grades three, four, and five ranged from about a quarter to just over a third of students meeting the state’s standard. In English language arts, the results were stronger: roughly two-fifths to nearly half of students scored proficient or above, with the highest rate in grade four. Science results for grade four were lower, with just over a fifth of students proficient. A single older social studies test from 2018-19, based on a different assessment and proficiency scale, showed about half of fifth graders proficient, but that result is too dated to inform current performance. There is only one year of recent data, so no trend is available; the state changed cut scores for ELA and science, making year-to-year comparisons unreliable.
Because Williamsburg County has only one school district, there is no meaningful comparison to other local districts. A parent cannot use a neighbor district as a benchmark here. The school also lacks publicly reported data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, course access, or staffing, all of which are gaps a family may want to explore by visiting or contacting the school directly.
This is an elementary school in a community facing economic strain and population loss, with academic outcomes that are modest in math and science and somewhat stronger in reading. The leadership academy name suggests a programmatic focus, but the available data does not describe what that looks like in practice. For a parent, the school’s small size, single-grade-band structure, and the district’s recent restructuring are the main contextual factors. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to consider. A family weighing this option would want to understand what the leadership academy theme means day to day and how the school supports students given the limited resources evident in the surrounding community.
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