Cherokee Trail Elementary

Cherokee Trail Elementary is a low-enrollment elementary school in Donalds, South Carolina, part of Abbeville 60. The school teaches 360 students in grades pre-K through 6. By comparison, South Carolina's public schools average about 526 students each, so Cherokee Trail Elementary sits 32% smaller than that benchmark.

Abbeville 60 comprises 8 schools with combined enrollment of 2,746 students; Cherokee Trail Elementary is among them.

Looking at the student body, Cherokee Trail Elementary reports that nearly all students (83%) are White. Beyond that, the school reports 10% Black, 4% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Abbeville County as a whole is about 69% White, so the school skews noticeably more White than its surroundings.

On the resource side, Cherokee Trail Elementary records 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.3:1. That tracks the state average closely.

In the surrounding community, community-level numbers for Abbeville County indicate the typical household earns roughly $52,935 per year, 20% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Cherokee Trail Elementary is one of 10 public schools in Abbeville County (combined enrollment of about 2,905 students).

Dixie High is the nearest neighboring public school, about 3.1 miles from this campus. Within ten miles, there are 8 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas.

The school occupies a rural site.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Cherokee Trail Elementary has declined 19%, going from 444 students in 2018 to 360 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share declined from 87% to 83%. Class-load math has tightened: from 15.9:1 in 2018 to 13.3:1 in 2025.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.