The top reported proficiency rate is 43% in English language arts. The lowest is 27% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Marshall Elementary
Marshall Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The school of a size that fits its elementary grade band, it sits within the city itself, a setting shaped by the presence of two historically Black universities and a community college that give Orangeburg a strong institutional character.
The student body is predominantly Black, a composition consistent with the broader demographic patterns of the district and the city. Virtually every enrolled student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that indicates the school serves a deeply resource-strapped community. This level of economic need is among the highest that elementary schools report.
On the state’s SC Ready assessments across the most recent testing year, students at Marshall Elementary showed a clear pattern in which early elementary performance was stronger than later years. In third grade, roughly two out of every five students met the state’s proficiency standard in math, and a slightly higher share did so in English language arts. Fourth-grade results slipped, with about a quarter of students reaching the proficiency bar in math and two out of five in English language arts. Fifth graders posted similar math results and a slightly higher English language arts rate. Fourth-grade science followed the same pattern, with about a quarter of students proficient. These results mean that the school’s strongest academic showing is in third grade English language arts, but across all tested subjects and grades, a majority of students are scoring below the state’s proficiency threshold. A parent may want to ask the school directly about specific instructional supports for upper elementary grades.
Only a single year of state assessment data is available for this school, so there is no trend line to show whether performance is improving or declining. The school serves prekindergarten through fifth grade, and because it does not serve high school, there is no graduation rate to report.
Information on staffing ratios, class sizes, chronic absenteeism, and the share of students receiving special education services or English learner support was not available in the data reviewed. A parent considering the school would reasonably follow up with the district office for those details.
Orangeburg itself has a population that has been relatively stable to slightly declining in recent years. The city’s downtown, centered on Russell Street, anchors the area, and civic life is interwoven with the two university campuses. Edisto Memorial Gardens, the IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium, and Stevenson Auditorium are local cultural assets. Major employers include the universities, the Regional Medical Center, and county government. Housing values in the area are below national and state benchmarks, and the cost of living relative to income is moderate, consistent with a small Southern city that has not seen the rapid price appreciation of larger metro areas.
The district brief turned up little of lasting impact in terms of recent district-level changes, program expansions, or leadership transitions, so that context is simply not part of the picture. A parent may want to check with the district office directly for any current initiatives or strategic priorities.
Marshall Elementary is a Title I-eligible school in a community with strong university anchors but high economic need. Its academic results are weakest in math and science, a soft spot that prospective parents would want to investigate further with school staff, particularly regarding how the school addresses learning gaps in the upper elementary grades.
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