Anderson District One Elementary Schools earn high marks on 2022-23 SC report cards

The South Carolina Department of Education and the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee released the 2023 South Carolina School Report Cards results this month.

Powdersville Elementary School, Hunt Meadows Elementary School Cedar Grove Elementary School and West Pelzer Elementary School all received excellent report card ratings and the Palmetto Gold for the 2022-23 school year.

Spearman Elementary School and Wren Elementary School received excellent report card ratings and the Palmetto Silver for the 2022-2023 school year.

Palmetto Elementary School received good report card ratings and the Palmetto Bronze for the 2022-2023 school year.

As stated in a press release, the report cards and ratings are intended to improve accessibility and accountability in South Carolina's public schools by providing easy to understand and useful information for parents and the public.

Palmetto Gold Report Card Ratings

Powdersville Elementary School report cards were rated 70 out of 100 for the 2022-2023 school year. According to a press release, South Carolina's education accountability system requires all elementary, middle and high school students to issue School Report Cards based on a 100-point scale.

According to screportcards.com, Powdersville Elementary School report cards were rated 67 out of 100 for the 2021-2022 school year. This school year, the score has increased by three points.

In a phone interview Principal Melissa Tollison said, "We are really proud of our students and staff. They work really hard and are committed to excellence every year. We believe this was a collective effort of our students, staff, parents and our community partnership.

"For us we believe all of our students should be learning at high levels so we continue to strive for excellence, doing whatever it takes to help our students be successful."

Hunt Meadows Elementary School report cards were rated 73 out of 100 for the 2022-2023 school year. According to screportcards.com Hunt Meadows Elementary School was rated 67 out of 100 for the 2021-2022 school year.

This school year, the score has increased by six points.

In a phone interview Principal Carrie Pennington attributed "the success to the hard work of the teachers and students, as well as the support of the school's administration and staff."

She also praised the school's collaboration culture, which she said "has enabled everyone to work together for the benefit of students."

Cedar Grove Elementary School report cards were rated 70 out of 100 for the 2022-2023 school year. According to screportcards.com Cedar Grove Elementary School was rated 64 out of 100 for the 2021-2022 school year.

This school year the score increased by six points.

In a phone interview Principal Mr. Matt White said, "We are unbelievably proud of this achievement. We saw a significant increase with our state testing scores growth between this year and last year. The biggest reason for that is our collaboration among teachers and our professional learning community.

"The teachers have been very innovative in their teaching techniques and analyzing student data, working collaboratively to intervene for students and trying different methods to reach students."

West Pelzer Elementary School report cards were rated 66 out of 100 for the 2022-2023 school year. According to screportcards.com West Pelzer Elementary School was rated 60 out of 100 for the 2021-2022 school year.

This school year the score increased by six points.

In a phone interview Principal Amy Bagwell said, "We are incredibly proud to celebrate the work of our students, staff and families that have dedicated their time and efforts to maximizing our students' achievements. Palmetto Gold recognition speaks directly to our school's mission."

Palmetto Silver Report Card Ratings

Spearman Elementary School report card were rated 65 out of 100 and for the 2022-2023 school year. According to screportcards.com Spearman Elementary School was rated 64 out of 100 for the 2021-2022 school year.

This school year the score decreased by one point. Principal Jason Lesley said, "Overall I am very proud of our students hard work, our teachers and staff's dedication and commitment to making sure every student learns at a high level. We are a model, professional learning school and community."

Wren Elementary School report cards were rated 57 out of 100 for the 2022-2023 school year. According to screportcards.com Wren Elementary School was rated 60 out of 100 for the 2021-22 school year.

This school year the score decreased by three points. According to an email from principal Delaney Sutton, "Wren Elementary is proud of the academic achievement scores and climate scores on the 2022-2023 report card. We will continue to focus on the academic growth for students throughout the school year."

Palmetto Elementary Report Card Ratings

Palmetto Elementary School report cards were rated 51 out of 100 and the Palmetto Bronze for the 2022-2023 school year. The lowest ranking of all Elementary Schools in District One. According to screportcards.com, Palmetto Elementary school was rated 55 for the 2021-2022 school year.

Palmetto Elementary is one of dozens of schools in the Upstate to receive a rating of Average or below. According to the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee, the definition of an Average rating on a school’s report card means “school performance meets the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.”

This school year their score decreased by four points. In a phone interview Principal Amy W. Cothran said the faculty and staff are actively working to address both normal and stretch growth more than 1 year of academic growth."

Principal Amy W. Cothran is pleased students are meeting grade-level expectations and said the school is working to improve the school’s overall growth and achievement. Cothran looks forward to working together with families and the community to reach the next level.

According to a press release, 22.5% of school received an overall rating of excellent, the highest rating in the state's education accountability system, representing an almost 2% increase from the previous year. Additionally, half of all students in South Carolina public schools are enrolled in a school with an overall rating of excellent or good.

In a phone interview Director of Elementary Education Brad Moore said, "The truth is our community and our teachers continue to provide the very best education for our students. That is what we are most proud of. We love the recognitions and awards.

"However, this is continued evidence that we have incredible educators and communities that absolutely 100 percent get behind educating our students at the highest level."

Travis Rose covers Anderson County for the Independent Mail. Reach him via email at trose@gannett.com. Phone Number 803-840-3508

This article originally appeared on Anderson Independent Mail: Anderson District One Elementary Schools score high on SC report cards