Summary:
The 29135 zip code area is home to two schools - St. Matthews K-8 School, an elementary/middle school serving grades PK-8, and Calhoun County High School, the only high school in the area serving grades 9-12. Both schools face significant challenges, with low academic performance, high poverty rates, and limited school choice for families in the Calhoun 01 district.
St. Matthews K-8 School has a large student enrollment of 553 and a majority African American student population (77.76%), with a low percentage of white students (12.48%). The school consistently ranks in the bottom quarter of South Carolina elementary schools and has significantly below-average test scores across all grade levels and subject areas. Calhoun County High School, with 423 students, also has a high percentage of African American students (65.48%) and a lower percentage of white students (22.93%). While the high school's performance is mixed, with some subject areas closer to the state average, it still ranks in the bottom quarter to bottom third of South Carolina high schools.
Both schools face significant socioeconomic challenges, with extremely high rates of free/reduced lunch recipients (100% at St. Matthews K-8 and 99.29% at Calhoun County High). Despite the relatively high per-student spending at these schools, the low academic performance suggests that funding alone may not be the sole factor driving student outcomes. Addressing the issues in this area will likely require a comprehensive approach to address the educational and socioeconomic factors impacting the community.
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