Okatie Elementary

Summary:

Okatie Elementary is a high-performing public elementary school in Bluffton, South Carolina, serving 609 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Beaufort 01 school district, which is ranked 26 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Okatie Elementary consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in South Carolina, with exceptional academic performance on state assessments that significantly exceeds the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, 62.3% of 3rd graders, 76.2% of 4th graders, and 75.9% of 5th graders at Okatie Elementary were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the district averages of 53.2%, 56.4%, and 53.5%, respectively. The school's diverse student population, with a higher percentage of Hispanic students compared to nearby schools, is also noteworthy, as Okatie Elementary ranks 12th out of 115 South Carolina elementary schools for Hispanic student performance.

Okatie Elementary's consistent high performance, with 4 or 5 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger, suggests the school has effective teaching practices, strong leadership, and a supportive learning environment. When compared to nearby schools in the Beaufort 01 district, Okatie Elementary stands out as a standout, high-performing school, significantly outperforming the district and state averages on state assessments. This success can serve as a model for other schools in the district and the state.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 53 Cherry Point Road
       Bluffton, SC  29909


(843) 322-7700

District: Beaufort 01

SchoolDigger Rank:
124th of 638 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $15,297 Help


Students who attend Okatie Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Bluffton Middle
High:    May River High

Student/teacher ratio:  14.5 Help
Number of students:  609

Racial breakdown:

White:
57.3%
Hispanic:
23.3%
African American:
10.8%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  26.4% Help


 See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

 Compare Okatie Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Okatie Elementary ranks better than 80.6% of elementary schools in South Carolina. It also ranks 4th among 19 ranked elementary schools in the Beaufort 01 School District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 79.72. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Okatie Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Beaufort 01 School District.  (See more...)
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Okatie Elementary is $15,297. 16 elementary schools in the Beaufort 01 School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Okatie Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Okatie Elementary 124th of 638 South Carolina public elementary schools. (See Okatie Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Beaufort 01:

SchoolDigger ranks Beaufort 01 26th of 75 South Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Okatie Elementary.

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Rank History for Okatie Elementary

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Okatie Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 46.89 335th 550 39.1%
2005 46.53 335th 557 39.9%
2006 57.50 262nd 559 53.1%
2007 52.85 289th 566 48.9%
2008 47.84 342nd 577 40.7%
2009 60.14 241st 580 58.4%
2010 79.85 98th 589 83.4%
2011 81.80 77th 597 87.1%
2012 86.07 38th 594 93.6%
2013 83.26 60th 599 90.0%
2014 87.94 34th 630 94.6%
2015 82.55 75th 638 88.2%
2016 83.22 82nd 619 86.8%
2017 86.62 63rd 639 90.1%
2018 83.04 95th 624 84.8%
2019 83.56 91st 643 85.8%
2021 87.15 73rd 622 88.3%
2022 89.41 61st 625 90.2%
2023 87.83 78th 644 87.9%
2024 79.72 124th 638 80.6%
See the entire list of South Carolina Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Okatie Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 60.12 39th 104 62.5%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Okatie Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 79.75 87th 588 85.2%
2019 74.81 121st 600 79.8%
2021 85.70 58th 580 90.0%
2022 85.14 60th 600 90.0%
2023 88.42 37th 608 93.9%
2024 80.35 86th 599 85.6%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Okatie Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 80.48 96th 570 83.2%
2019 82.56 83rd 588 85.9%
2021 84.48 81st 554 85.4%
2022 88.29 62nd 573 89.2%
2023 84.51 82nd 580 85.9%
2024 74.87 133rd 565 76.5%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Okatie Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 66.60 56th 147 61.9%
2022 65.08 55th 109 49.5%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Elementary Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for Male students at Okatie Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 82.42 90th 571 84.2%
2019 81.43 93rd 590 84.2%
2021 84.98 72nd 561 87.2%
2022 87.46 61st 579 89.5%
2023 87.22 62nd 582 89.3%
2024 80.58 106th 568 81.3%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Okatie Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 66.80 34th 104 67.3%
2019 72.42 29th 116 75.0%
2021 86.03 7th 86 91.9%
2022 96.89 2nd 115 98.3%
2023 75.18 26th 115 77.4%
2024 83.90 12th 115 89.6%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Okatie Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 82.80 65th 457 85.8%
2019 77.79 82nd 472 82.6%
2021 81.50 65th 439 85.2%
2022 84.88 52nd 455 88.6%
2023 86.52 41st 463 91.1%
2024 71.94 115th 441 73.9%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: South Carolina Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Okatie Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: South Carolina Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a principal
Friday, September 3, 2021

Open Quote Staff, Parents and Community consistently work together to provide opportunities that promote leadership and academic success. Close Quote


by a parent
Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Open Quote The teachers and other staff of OES are amazing. Their character and talent with the children is beyond what any parent could ask for.
The children of OES are so proud to attend this award-winning school. Close Quote


Facebook Profile Picture by a parent on FaceBook
Sunday, June 16, 2013

Open Quote Best elementary school in Beaufort County! We have the most amazing staff, very involved teachers, and the best principal in Mrs. Pinckney! The PTO is very active, as is SIC. This is a science, math and health focused school. Our programs include a garden club, running club, cheer squad, electronics club, computer lab, media center, robotics club, tek club, young astronauts, chorus, band, drama club, quarterly math bowl, monthly Sumdog math contest, and GT Art. Our teachers use technology in the classroom to enhance learning and engage all students. If you are moving to BEaufort County, make sure you live in the Okatie Elemenatry school area! You don't want your kids to go anywhere else!!! Close Quote



Enrollment information for Okatie Elementary

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2002 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 0
2003 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 0
2004 252 107 5 143 0 n/a n/a 1 508
2005 292 114 4 135 0 n/a n/a 1 546
2006 375 137 6 203 0 n/a n/a 0 721
2007 412 154 7 263 1 n/a n/a 0 837
2008 367 137 9 286 1 n/a n/a 0 800
2009 395 150 10 265 0 n/a n/a 1 821
2010 370 76 10 66 0 n/a n/a 1 523
2011 426 87 8 108 1 2 13 0 645
2012 403 95 8 113 1 2 18 0 640
2013 419 85 4 103 1 2 32 0 646
2014 384 83 7 91 2 1 34 0 602
2015 419 97 11 112 1 0 39 0 679
2016 358 107 8 106 1 0 29 0 609
2017 344 86 17 108 0 0 23 0 578
2018 362 80 13 126 0 0 25 0 606
2019 363 83 10 127 0 1 26 0 610
2020 381 76 6 124 3 1 28 0 619
2021 348 59 3 117 3 0 33 0 563
2022 346 59 6 127 1 0 30 0 569
2023 349 66 7 142 0 0 45 0 609

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Okatie Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2002 0 0.0 0.0 n/a
2003 0 0.0 0.0 n/a
2004 508 34.0 14.9 50.1
2005 546 40.9 13.3 49.7
2006 721 51.0 14.1 44.1
2007 837 75.0 11.2 41.5
2008 800 62.0 12.9 39.5
2009 821 58.0 14.2 45.5
2010 523 44.0 11.8 30.5
2011 645 44.0 14.6 33.8
2012 640 44.0 14.5 42.5
2013 646 40.6 15.9 40.9
2014 602 40.0 15.0 41.2
2015 679 44.0 15.4 32.1
2016 609 45.0 13.5 35.8
2017 578 44.0 13.1 37.4
2018 606 43.0 14.0 36
2019 610 46.0 13.2 38.7
2020 619 47.0 13.1 33.6
2021 563 47.0 11.9 36.2
2022 569 47.0 12.1 38.8
2023 609 42.0 14.5 26.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Okatie Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2002 0 0.0 0.0 n/a
2003 0 0.0 0.0 n/a
2004 508 34.0 14.9 50.1
2005 546 40.9 13.3 49.7
2006 721 51.0 14.1 44.1
2007 837 75.0 11.2 41.5
2008 800 62.0 12.9 39.5
2009 821 58.0 14.2 45.5
2010 523 44.0 11.8 30.5
2011 645 44.0 14.6 33.8
2012 640 44.0 14.5 42.5
2013 646 40.6 15.9 40.9
2014 602 40.0 15.0 41.2
2015 679 44.0 15.4 32.1
2016 609 45.0 13.5 35.8
2017 578 44.0 13.1 37.4
2018 606 43.0 14.0 36
2019 610 46.0 13.2 38.7
2020 619 47.0 13.1 33.6
2021 563 47.0 11.9 36.2
2022 569 47.0 12.1 38.8
2023 609 42.0 14.5 26.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Okatie Elementary

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YearPersonnel Expenditures from Federal FundsNon-Personnel Expenditures from Federal FundsTotal Expenditures from Federal FundsPersonnel Expenditures from State and Local FundsNon-Personnel Expenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $87 (0.8%) $424 (4.1%) $511 (4.9%) $8,295 (79.4%) $1,638 (15.7%) $9,933 (95.1%) $10,444
2020 $74 (0.7%) $85 (0.8%) $159 (1.4%) $8,964 (79.9%) $2,096 (18.7%) $11,060 (98.6%) $11,219
2021 $240 (2.0%) $498 (4.1%) $738 (6.1%) $9,393 (78.2%) $1,884 (15.7%) $11,277 (93.9%) $12,015
2022 $340 (2.5%) $863 (6.3%) $1,203 (8.8%) $10,732 (78.6%) $1,711 (12.5%) $12,443 (91.2%) $13,646
2023 $600 (3.9%) $1,062 (6.9%) $1,662 (10.9%) $11,728 (76.7%) $1,907 (12.5%) $13,635 (89.1%) $15,297

Data source: South Carolina Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Okatie Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 91st of 643 Elementary schoolsRanks 78th of 644 Elementary schools
 2%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Okatie Elementary)68.669.8
 1.2%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Beaufort 01)47.850.6
 2.8%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (South Carolina)49.753.5
 3.8%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Okatie Elementary)83.375.6
 7.7%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Beaufort 01)5852.8
 5.2%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (South Carolina)57.753.6
 4.1%
4th Grade Science (Okatie Elementary)69.559.8
 9.7%
   4th Grade Science (Beaufort 01)53.444.3
 9.1%
   4th Grade Science (South Carolina)5246.6
 5.4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Okatie Elementary)66.378.1
 11.8%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Beaufort 01)50.455.6
 5.2%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (South Carolina)51.357.2
 5.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Okatie Elementary)71.758.6
 13.1%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Beaufort 01)53.746.8
 6.9%
   4th Grade Mathematics (South Carolina)50.547
 3.5%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Okatie Elementary)49.177.2
 28.1%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Beaufort 01)40.256.8
 16.6%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (South Carolina)4155.2
 14.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Okatie Elementary)6079.4
 19.4%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Beaufort 01)47.945.9
 2%
   5th Grade Mathematics (South Carolina)45.444.6
 0.8%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students610609
 0.2%
African American8366
 20.5%
American Indian00
Asian107
 30%
Hispanic127142
 11.8%
Pacific Islander10
 100%
White363349
 3.9%
Two or More Races2645
 73.1%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients38.7%26.4%
 12.3%


Schools Near Okatie Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Okatie Elementary

Students who attend Okatie Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bluffton Middle
High : May River High

In the 2022-23 school year, 609 students attended Okatie Elementary.

Students at Okatie Elementary are 57% White, 23% Hispanic, 11% African American, 7% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Okatie Elementary ranks 124th of 638 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Carolina Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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