Bamberg 03

The Bamberg 03 school district in South Carolina consists of 6 schools, including 2 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 2 high schools. The district exhibits significant disparities in academic performance and resources, with some schools like Bamberg-Ehrhardt High performing relatively well, while others like Denmark-Olar Middle struggle with very low proficiency rates on state assessments.

Bamberg-Ehrhardt High stands out as the strongest performer in the district, ranking 142 out of 235 high schools statewide and earning a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. In contrast, Denmark-Olar Middle and Denmark Olar High are among the lowest-performing schools in the district, ranking in the bottom quartile of their respective school types statewide. The disparities in performance are closely linked to socioeconomic factors, with the schools serving higher-poverty communities, such as Denmark-Olar High, having the lowest test scores and rankings.

Across the Bamberg 03 district, the student-teacher ratios range from 12.7 to 24.6, with the higher ratios generally corresponding to the lower-performing schools. This suggests potential staffing challenges that may be contributing to the uneven outcomes. While the district as a whole is underperforming compared to the state, the relative success of Bamberg-Ehrhardt High and Bamberg-Ehrhardt Middle indicates that there may be strategies or practices at those schools that could be replicated to improve outcomes at the other schools in the district.