Hunter-kinard-tyler Elementary, Neeses SC

Original Research by School Decision on Hunter-kinard-tyler Elementary

Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the small, rural town of Neeses in Orangeburg County. The school is a regular public school and part of the Orangeburg school district. With a modest enrollment for its grade band, the school sees its student body distributed fairly evenly across the elementary grades.

The student population is predominantly Black, with a smaller share of white students and small numbers of children from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. Every student at the school qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a reflection of the broader economic context of the community. Neeses itself is a small, rural town with a declining population and a housing market characterized by low values, and the school sits at the center of this agricultural area.

On state assessments in math and English language arts, performance follows a pattern that parents will want to review closely. In math, proficiency rates vary by grade, with the fifth-grade cohort reaching a level notably higher than the younger grades. In English language arts, the fifth-grade group again posted the strongest results, with roughly half of students scoring at or above the proficient level. Fourth-grade science results were lower, with a smaller share of students meeting the proficiency threshold. Because only a single year of assessment data is available for this school, there is no way to see a trend or to know whether these results represent a typical year or an unusual one. South Carolina also recently changed its cut scores for some subjects, which means comparisons to prior years are not straightforward.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, and course access were not available. Information on whether the school receives Title I funding was also missing, though the universal free-lunch eligibility suggests the school serves a community with concentrated economic need. Special education and English learner counts were not provided in the data reviewed.

Housing in the area is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks, and monthly mortgage payments are estimated to be below the typical rent figure, making homeownership a realistic option for many families. The town lacks a traditional downtown or walkable street life, and residents rely on cars for most errands. Civic life centers on town hall and the post office.

For a family considering this school, the central question is about academic starting points. The elementary grades show a range of proficiency rates, with the strongest results appearing at the fifth-grade level in both math and reading. A parent may want to ask the school how it supports students who are not yet meeting the state's proficiency benchmarks, and whether there have been recent curriculum or instructional changes that could affect future results. The school’s small size and rural setting may appeal to families looking for a close-knit environment, while the lack of walkability and limited local amenities are practical tradeoffs.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 40% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 427%

School 27% · District 32% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 34% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 40% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 41% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 45% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Science

Grade 418%

School 18% · District 28% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

This schoolOrangeburg, 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.