Parents looking for the best elementary school to send their children to in South Carolina should consider choosing an upstate elementary school.
Several upstate schools ranked in the state’s top 10 in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Elementary Schools rankings.
Charleston’s Buist Academy may have been crowned No. 1, but there are more schools in the area receiving high marks, with Belton Preparatory Academy in Anderson County coming in a close second. .
Want to know if your child’s school is in the top 10? If so, keep reading to find out.
What method was used to determine the rankings?
US News used the same methodology for all grade levels included. Schools in each state were rated based on the percentage of students who scored proficient or above on state assessments in math and reading/language arts. Half of the formulas evaluated scores only, and the other half incorporated test results in the context of socio-economic demographics.
“In other words, the top schools all have high grades and are successful in educating all of their students,” U.S. News said.
It is also worth noting that the report does not rank elementary schools across the country. However, there are “unique elementary and intermediate rankings calculated at the state and district level, as well as state rankings specific to charter schools.”
More information on the methodology used can be found here.
U.S. News’ Top 10 Best Elementary Schools in the Upstate
∎ 1st place: Belton Preparatory Academy, Belton
∎ 2nd Place: Augusta Circle Elementary School, Greenville
∎ No. 3: Taylor’s School Tigerville Elementary School
∎ 4th Place: Green Charter School, Greenville
∎ No. 5: Sterling School, Greenville
∎ No. 6: Piedmont Wren Elementary School
∎ No. 7: Monarch Elementary School in Simpsonville
∎ No. 8: Stone Academy, Greenville
∎ 9th place: Buena Vista Academy, Greer
∎ No. 10: Greenville, Pelham Road Elementary School
US News’ Top 10 Best Elementary Schools in South Carolina
∎ 1st place: Buist Academy (Charleston)
∎ 2nd place: Belton Preparatory Academy, Bolton
∎ 3rd place: El Lite Middle, Columbia
∎ 4th Place: Augusta Circle Elementary School, Greenville
∎ No. 5: Taylor’s School Tigerville Elementary School
6th Place: Green Charter School, Greenville
∎ No. 7: Muller Road Middle, Blythwood
∎ No. 8: Sterling School, Greenville
∎ No. 9: Orange Grove Charter School, Charleston
∎ No. 10: Piedmont Wren Elementary School
Top 10 Best Charter Elementary Schools in South Carolina by US News
∎ 1st place: Belton Preparatory Academy, Belton
∎ 2nd Place: Green Charter School, Greenville
∎ 3rd Place: Orange Grove Charter School, Charleston
∎ No. 4: East Cooper Montessori Charter, Mount Pleasant
∎ No. 5: Spartanburg Green Charter School, Spartanburg
∎ 6th place: East Point Academy, West Columbia
∎ 7th Place: Butler Academy, Hartsville
∎ 8th Place: Lowcountry Leadership Charter School, Meggett
∎ No. 9: Riverview Charter School in Beaufort
∎ No. 10: York Preparatory Academy, Rock Hill
Nina Tran covers trending topics for The Greenville News. Email ntran@gannett.com.
