The top reported proficiency rate is 68% in Social studies. The lowest is 15% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Rafting Creek Elementary
Rafting Creek Elementary is a regular public school in Rembert, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of Sumter 01, the school district covering this area of Sumter County, South Carolina. Rembert is a very small, unincorporated rural community, one with a population that has been declining over recent years. The character is spread out and residential; there is no downtown or walkable commercial core to speak of, and families living here typically drive to nearby Sumter for work, amenities, and services. The housing stock is modest in value, and the median home price in the broader area has seen a slight dip year over year, reflecting the broader trend of population loss the community is experiencing.
The enrollment at Rafting Creek Elementary is small, with a handful of students in each grade from kindergarten to fifth grade, plus a pre-kindergarten class. Every student enrolled in the school qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a high-poverty context. The student body is predominantly Black, with a much smaller share of Hispanic students, an even smaller share of White students, and a very small number of American Indian or Alaska Native students. Data on the share of students with individualized education programs or English learner status was not available in the source materials.
On state testing, the results are soft. For the most recent school year, math proficiency rates were low across the tested grades, and in fourth and fifth grade the share of students scoring at the proficient or advanced level was small. The same pattern held in English language arts, where reported proficiency was also low. Science results for fourth grade showed a similar picture. A parent should be aware that because of the small size of each grade's tested group, a handful of students can shift the rate meaningfully from year to year. Third-grade test results for both math and English language arts were suppressed in the data to protect student privacy, which is a standard practice when the tested group is very small. The most recent available social studies results date to an older testing year and are not comparable to current assessments because of a change in the test itself.
No trend data across multiple years was available for any subject beyond a single point, so it is not possible to say whether performance is improving, holding steady, or declining. The state changed its cut scores for English language arts and science in this period, which makes direct comparison with earlier years even more difficult.
The school does not serve high school grades, so no graduation rate applies. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, course access, and staffing ratios were all absent from the source materials, leaving a parent without a clear window into the daily environment, class sizes, or how much instructional staff is in the building. These are gaps a prospective family would want to ask the school or district about directly.
Rafting Creek Elementary offers no special designations such as charter or magnet status, and because the school is part of a small rural district, it operates without the programmatic breadth a larger or more suburban system might provide. For a family already living in the Rembert area, this is the neighborhood elementary school, and its small size means a child will be known individually by teachers and staff. For a family considering a move to the area or weighing this school against alternatives, the primary open question is what kind of academic support and enrichment is available in a setting where testing outcomes are modest and the student body faces high economic need.
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