Is Willow Drive Elementary a good school?

Willow Drive Elementary ranks in the bottom 7.8% of South Carolina elementary schools.

How many students attend Willow Drive Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 539 students attended Willow Drive Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Willow Drive Elementary?

Students at Willow Drive Elementary are 76% African American, 11% White, 8% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Willow Drive Elementary attend?

Students who attend Willow Drive Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Sumter High School

Willow Drive Elementary

Summary:

Willow Drive Elementary is a public elementary school in Sumter, South Carolina, serving 551 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Sumter 01 School District, which is ranked 69 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Willow Drive Elementary faces significant challenges, with a student population that is 78.22% African American, significantly higher than the surrounding schools, which range from 40-84% African American. The school consistently ranks in the bottom 10% of South Carolina elementary schools, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Its proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are significantly lower than the state and district averages, often by 20 percentage points or more. Additionally, the school has a 100% free and reduced lunch rate, indicating that all students come from low-income households, a key factor contributing to the school's academic challenges.

While the surrounding schools in the Sumter 01 district also face challenges, with most having 0-star ratings, some schools like Wilder Elementary and Alice Drive Elementary are performing significantly better, with higher proficiency rates and statewide rankings. This suggests that there may be opportunities to learn from the practices and strategies employed at these higher-performing schools. Additionally, Willow Drive Elementary spends more per student ($11,002 in 2022-2023) compared to the state average, but this does not appear to be translating into improved academic outcomes, raising questions about the effective use of resources and the need for targeted interventions and support.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

26 Willow Drive
Sumter, SC 29150

(803) 773-5796

District: Sumter 01

SchoolDigger Rank:
588^th of 638 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,002

Students who attend Willow Drive Elementary usually attend:

High:

Sumter High School

Student/teacher ratio: 14.8

Number of students: 539

Racial breakdown:

African American:

76.4%

White:

10.8%

Hispanic:

8.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 100%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Willow Drive Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Willow Drive Elementary ranks worse than 92.2% of elementary schools in South Carolina. It also ranks 9^th among 13 ranked elementary schools in the Sumter 01 School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 10.93. (See more...)

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

Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (76.4%), White (10.8%), Hispanic (8.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 100% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Sumter 01 School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Willow Drive Elementary is 14.8. 8 elementary schools in the Sumter 01 School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Willow Drive Elementary employs 36.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Willow Drive Elementary is $11,002. 11 elementary schools in the Sumter 01 School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Willow Drive Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Willow Drive Elementary 588^th of 638 South Carolina public elementary schools. (See Willow Drive Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Sumter 01:

SchoolDigger ranks Sumter 01 69^th of 75 South Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Willow Drive Elementary?

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Rank History for Willow Drive Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Willow Drive Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	SC State Percentile
2014	37.13	436^th	630	30.8%
2015	43.75	362^nd	638	43.3%
2016	33.72	428^th	619	30.9%
2017	37.90	397^th	639	37.9%
2018	37.42	388^th	624	37.8%
2019	10.81	594^th	643	7.6%
2021	6.26	610^th	622	1.9%
2022	7.29	606^th	625	3.0%
2023	8.59	617^th	644	4.2%
2024	10.93	588^th	638	7.8%

See the entire list of South Carolina Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Willow Drive Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	45.88	315^th	588	46.4%
2019	12.20	560^th	600	6.7%
2021	6.97	571^st	580	1.6%
2022	8.76	581^st	600	3.2%
2023	10.52	584^th	608	3.9%
2024	14.67	547^th	599	8.7%

See the entire list of Best South Carolina Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Willow Drive Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	39.93	358^th	570	37.2%
2019	12.04	541^st	588	8.0%
2021	4.13	551^st	554	0.5%
2022	5.93	561^st	573	2.1%
2023	5.91	566^th	580	2.4%
2024	9.15	540^th	565	4.4%

See the entire list of Best South Carolina Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Willow Drive Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	32.55	390^th	571	31.7%
2019	8.69	563^rd	590	4.6%
2021	8.64	529^th	561	5.7%
2022	9.37	543^rd	579	6.2%
2023	12.29	521^st	582	10.5%
2024	12.54	510^th	568	10.2%

See the entire list of Best South Carolina Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Willow Drive Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	66.87	103^rd	412	75.0%
2019	30.62	328^th	421	22.1%
2021	10.66	344^th	350	1.7%
2022	12.74	383^rd	393	2.5%
2023	17.68	361^st	394	8.4%
2024	21.74	328^th	369	11.1%

See the entire list of Best South Carolina Elementary Schools for African American 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.

Data source: South Carolina Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Willow Drive Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2012	108	462	2	27	0	0	1	600
2013	128	463	6	27	0	0	0	624
2014	112	479	6	29	1	1	5	633
2015	107	483	5	27	2	1	18	643
2016	100	523	10	29	1	3	21	687
2017	91	514	11	31	2	5	26	680
2018	88	500	12	21	1	5	30	657
2019	85	464	12	19	1	2	26	609
2020	90	452	8	18	1	0	32	601
2021	72	458	8	17	0	0	27	582
2022	66	437	9	21	0	2	18	553
2023	60	431	11	29	1	3	16	551
2024	58	412	7	44	0	3	15	539

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 Willow Drive Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2012	600	32.0	18.7	85.3
2013	624	35.0	17.8	88.1
2014	633	34.0	18.6	78.8
2015	643	39.0	16.4	94.6
2016	687	43.0	15.9	98.8
2017	680	39.0	17.4	100
2018	657	41.0	16.0	100
2019	609	42.0	14.5	100
2020	601	42.0	14.3	100
2021	582	38.0	15.3	100
2022	553	36.0	15.3	100
2023	551	32.0	17.2	100
2024	539	36.2	14.8	100

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 Willow Drive Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2012	600	32.0	18.7	85.3
2013	624	35.0	17.8	88.1
2014	633	34.0	18.6	78.8
2015	643	39.0	16.4	94.6
2016	687	43.0	15.9	98.8
2017	680	39.0	17.4	100
2018	657	41.0	16.0	100
2019	609	42.0	14.5	100
2020	601	42.0	14.3	100
2021	582	38.0	15.3	100
2022	553	36.0	15.3	100
2023	551	32.0	17.2	100
2024	539	36.2	14.8	100

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 Willow Drive Elementary

Year	Personnel Expenditures from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Expenditures from Federal Funds	Total Expenditures from Federal Funds	Personnel Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$1,135 (12.2%)	$509 (5.5%)	$1,643 (17.7%)	$6,854 (74.0%)	$770 (8.3%)	$7,624 (82.3%)	$9,267
2020	$1,326 (13.5%)	$523 (5.3%)	$1,849 (18.8%)	$7,263 (74.0%)	$703 (7.2%)	$7,966 (81.2%)	$9,815
2021	$1,319 (13.1%)	$414 (4.1%)	$1,733 (17.2%)	$7,669 (76.3%)	$649 (6.5%)	$8,318 (82.8%)	$10,050
2022	$1,335 (12.9%)	$718 (6.9%)	$2,053 (19.9%)	$7,667 (74.1%)	$620 (6.0%)	$8,288 (80.1%)	$10,341
2023	$1,543 (14.0%)	$758 (6.9%)	$2,301 (20.9%)	$7,976 (72.5%)	$726 (6.6%)	$8,701 (79.1%)	$11,002

Data source: South Carolina Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Willow Drive 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 594^th of 643 Elementary schools	Ranks 617^th of 644 Elementary schools	3.4%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Willow Drive Elementary)	23.9	30.2	6.3%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Sumter 01)	37.3	35.6	1.7%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (South Carolina)	49.7	53.5	3.8%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Willow Drive Elementary)	27.2	32.4	5.2%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Sumter 01)	46.9	38.2	8.7%
3rd Grade Mathematics (South Carolina)	57.7	53.6	4.1%
4th Grade Science (Willow Drive Elementary)	26.9	22.2	4.7%
4th Grade Science (Sumter 01)	40.9	38.8	2.1%
4th Grade Science (South Carolina)	52	46.6	5.4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Willow Drive Elementary)	23	31.9	8.9%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Sumter 01)	32.2	41.4	9.2%
4th Grade English Language Arts (South Carolina)	51.3	57.2	5.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Willow Drive Elementary)	22.1	12.7	9.4%
4th Grade Mathematics (Sumter 01)	33.9	27.1	6.8%
4th Grade Mathematics (South Carolina)	50.5	47	3.5%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Willow Drive Elementary)	18.7	17.6	1.1%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Sumter 01)	25.7	39.2	13.5%
5th Grade English Language Arts (South Carolina)	41	55.2	14.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Willow Drive Elementary)	26.1	5	21.1%
5th Grade Mathematics (Sumter 01)	30.7	25.5	5.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (South Carolina)	45.4	44.6	0.8%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	609	551	9.5%
African American	464	431	7.1%
American Indian	1	1
Asian	12	11	8.3%
Hispanic	19	29	52.6%
Pacific Islander	2	3	50%
White	85	60	29.4%
Two or More Races	26	16	38.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	100%	100%

Schools Near Willow Drive Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				SC READY English Language Arts (2024)			SC READY Mathematics (2024)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SC READY English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 4th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Willow Drive Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	26 Willow Drive	Sumter	29150	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 773-5796	539	36	14.8	100.0%	58 (10.8%)	412 (76.4%)	44 (8.2%)	7 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	15 (2.8%)	10.9	588^th of 638 public elementary schools	7.8%		8.6	617^th of 644 public elementary schools	4.2%	29	34.7	20.1	34.6	33.3	15.1	21.8	$11,002	$1,543	$758	$2,301	$7,976	$726	$8,701
Alice Drive Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	251 Alice Drive	Sumter	29150	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 775-0857	551	36	15.1	100.0%	255 (46.3%)	237 (43.0%)	22 (4.0%)	23 (4.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.4%)	76.3	145^th of 638 public elementary schools	77.3%		74.7	157^th of 644 public elementary schools	75.6%	12	59.0	66.3	65.5	65.4	74.2	51.8	$10,749	$1,159	$698	$1,857	$8,157	$734	$8,891
Liberty STEAM Charter School	Public, Charter	K-3	15 Church Street	Sumter	29150	Sumter County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	No	(803) 830-5966	584	43	13.6	73.5%	222 (38.0%)	298 (51.0%)	25 (4.3%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (5.7%)								(n/a)	56.8			41.8
Crosswell Drive Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	301 Crosswell Drive	Sumter	29150	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 775-0679	457	33	13.8	100.0%	12 (2.6%)	392 (85.8%)	42 (9.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.0%)	12.6	571^st of 638 public elementary schools	10.5%		10.9	597^th of 644 public elementary schools	7.3%	26	30.7	27.7	36.6	33.8	27.7	19.7	$11,984	$1,941	$867	$2,807	$8,152	$1,025	$9,177
Millwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	24 Pinewood Road	Sumter	29150	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 775-0648	666	39	16.9	100.0%	229 (34.4%)	343 (51.5%)	37 (5.6%)	16 (2.4%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	30 (4.5%)	49.8	321^st of 638 public elementary schools	49.7%		36.3	412^th of 644 public elementary schools	36.0%	91	60.9	54.4	53.2	59.8	44.8	32.2	$10,470	$1,814	$716	$2,530	$7,203	$737	$7,940
Lemira Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	952 Fulton Street	Sumter	29153	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 775-0658	369	25	14.7	100.0%	13 (3.5%)	311 (84.3%)	32 (8.7%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.0%)	10.2	598^th of 638 public elementary schools	6.3%		9.5	610^th of 644 public elementary schools	5.3%	12	26.7	27.6	36.5	31.7	17.3	19.1	$13,366	$2,386	$1,164	$3,549	$8,891	$926	$9,817
Wilder Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	975 South Main Street	Sumter	29150	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 773-5723	325	26	12.5	100.0%	70 (21.5%)	222 (68.3%)	15 (4.6%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	13 (4.0%)	35.9	405^th of 638 public elementary schools	36.5%		40.7	383^rd of 644 public elementary schools	40.5%	22	47.0	36.2	51.3	56.2	29.3	43.9	$13,539	$2,296	$857	$3,153	$9,520	$866	$10,386
Kingsbury Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	825 Kingsbury Road	Sumter	29154	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 775-6244	584	43	13.4	100.0%	145 (24.8%)	378 (64.7%)	20 (3.4%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	33 (5.7%)	15.8	548^th of 638 public elementary schools	14.1%		16.6	551^st of 644 public elementary schools	14.4%	3	25.3	32.4	39.3	19.2	30.4	32.5	$11,613	$1,752	$741	$2,493	$8,339	$781	$9,120
Cherryvale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1420 Furman Drive	Sumter	29154	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 494-8200	478	34	14.0	100.0%	86 (18.0%)	355 (74.3%)	24 (5.0%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	4.9	631^st of 638 public elementary schools	1.1%		7.7	622^nd of 644 public elementary schools	3.4%	9	25.8	21.9	19.4	24.1	15.0	14.3	$11,577	$1,424	$826	$2,250	$8,266	$1,061	$9,327
Pocalla Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2060 Bethel Church Road	Sumter	29154	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 481-5800	643	40	16.0	100.0%	225 (35.0%)	333 (51.8%)	39 (6.1%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (6.5%)	19.3	529^th of 638 public elementary schools	17.1%		25.6	486^th of 644 public elementary schools	24.5%	43	37.0	43.4	39.8	42.5	24.7	16.5	$11,289	$2,028	$951	$2,979	$7,189	$1,121	$8,310

Willow Drive Elementary

Willow Drive Elementary:

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Sumter 01:

What do you think?

Rank History for Willow Drive Elementary

Rank History for all students at Willow Drive Elementary

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Willow Drive Elementary

Rank History for Female students at Willow Drive Elementary

Rank History for Male students at Willow Drive Elementary

Rank History for African American students at Willow Drive Elementary

Enrollment information for Willow Drive Elementary

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Willow Drive Elementary

Student/Teacher Ratio Willow Drive Elementary

Per Pupil Expenditures for Willow Drive Elementary

Impact of COVID-19 on Willow Drive Elementary

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Willow Drive Elementary