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If you could change one rule at Fort Dorchester Elementary, what would it be?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
801
Elementary
DISTRICT 781 · STATE 526
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DORCHESTER 02·NCES 450201000715
Fort Dorchester Elementary
5201 Old Glory Lane, Summerville, SC 29485 · (843) 832-5550 · Dorchester County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL801 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 76% of South Carolina public elementary schools
- A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ·Beats expectations Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded South Carolina public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
13.9:1
57 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.0:1 · STATE 13.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
STATE 77%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 43 | 5% |
| Kindergarten | 100 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 110 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 136 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 145 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 127 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 140 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (100) is 29% smaller than its 5th grade class (140).
Student demographics
72%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 67% · STATE 67% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
SC READY 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
73.9%
SC avg 59.7% . +2.4pp since 2023
Math
59.6%
SC avg 44.2% . +1.9pp since 2023
What this means: On the SC READY, South Carolina's statewide test, about 74 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 60 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all South Carolina schools, those numbers are about 60 and 44. Reading and writing scores are up about 2 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 2 points.
SC READY results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 73.9% | 59.6% |
| 2023-24 | 71.5% | 57.7% |
% Meets or Exceeds Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SC READY. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Fort Dorchester Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In South Carolina | In Dorchester County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 59.6% | #193 of 635 ▲ 1 | #6 of 18 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 73.9% | #132 of 635 ▼ 47 | #4 of 18 ▼ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 801 | #91 of 709 | #6 of 19 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.9:1 | #385 of 656 | #9 of 18 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 71.8% | #14 of 656 | #2 of 18 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -17.6% | #145 of 395 | #5 of 13 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
801
-76 (-9%) vs 2020
-39% since 2010-11, when it was 1,312
Student : Teacher
13.9:1
was 14.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 801 | 57.4 | 13.9:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 860 | 59.8 | 14.4:1 | 51% (435) |
| 2022-23 | 892 | 60.4 | 14.8:1 | 52% (460) |
| 2020-21 | 877 | 60 | 14.6:1 | 33% (290) |
| 2017-18 | 972 | 63 | 15.4:1 | 29% (284) |
| 2015-16 | 1,206 | 66 | 18.3:1 | 26% (316) |
| 2010-11 | 1,312 | 75 | 17.5:1 | 25% (330) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Fort Dorchester Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 18% (972 to 801); teachers down 9% (63 to 57.4).
About Fort Dorchester Elementary
Fort Dorchester Elementary is a large elementary school based in Summerville, South Carolina. It reports enrollment of 801 students in pre-K through 5. That puts enrollment 52% above the 526-student average for elementary schools in South Carolina.
Dorchester 02 is the district for Fort Dorchester Elementary. It has 25 schools and 25,928 students.
The student body at Fort Dorchester Elementary has no majority group. White students lead at 41%. Other groups make up 27% Black, 16% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, and 6% Asian. That compares with about 62% White among all Dorchester County residents. The diversity index for Fort Dorchester Elementary is 72%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
For every teacher at Fort Dorchester Elementary, there are about 13.9 students; the school has 57.4 full-time-equivalent teachers. That is in line with the 13.3:1 average for elementary schools in South Carolina.
Among South Carolina public elementary schools, Fort Dorchester Elementary outscored 76%, which works out to an A- on the allk12 Grade.
In the wider Dorchester County area, the median household earns about $78,198 a year, about 30% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 8%. Fort Dorchester Elementary shares Dorchester County with 34 other public schools.
Oakbrook Middle is about 1.5 miles from Fort Dorchester Elementary, the shortest distance to any other public school. Other public schools within five miles: at least 8.
Locale data from NCES put Fort Dorchester Elementary inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000 (City: Mid-size).
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment decreased from 877 to 801, a 9% decline.
This page is a place to ask questions and share updates about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures at Fort Dorchester Elementary. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Dorchester County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
167,201
Census ACS
Median income
$78,198
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
30%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
35
29,832 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Dorchester 02
- Summerville HighHigh · 3,361 students
- Ashley Ridge HighHigh · 2,599 students
- Fort Dorchester HighHigh · 2,344 students
- Sand Hill ElementaryElementary · 1,169 students
- Beech Hill ElementaryElementary · 1,079 students
- East Edisto MiddleMiddle · 1,031 students
Other schools in Summerville
- Summerville HighHigh · 3,361 students
- Ashley Ridge HighHigh · 2,599 students
- Cane Bay HighHigh · 2,412 students
- Cane Bay MiddleMiddle · 1,464 students
- Sand Hill ElementaryElementary · 1,169 students
- Cane Bay ElementaryElementary · 1,161 students
Nearby schools
- Oakbrook Middle1.5 mi · 861
- Oakbrook Elementary1.6 mi · 649
- Fort Dorchester High1.7 mi · 2,344
- Joseph R. Pye Elementary1.8 mi · 775
- River Oaks Middle2.0 mi · 728
- Eagle Nest Elementary2.1 mi · 653
Frequently asked questions
About Fort Dorchester ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Fort Dorchester Elementary?
Fort Dorchester Elementary enrolls approximately 801 students in grades PK-05.
Is Fort Dorchester Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Fort Dorchester Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Fort Dorchester Elementary have?
Fort Dorchester Elementary employs 57 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.9:1.
What is the student diversity at Fort Dorchester Elementary?
Student demographics at Fort Dorchester Elementary are roughly 41% White, 16% Hispanic, 27% Black, 6% Asian, 9% Two or more.
What district is Fort Dorchester Elementary in?
Fort Dorchester Elementary is part of Dorchester 02.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.