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What's the biggest difference between J. L. Cain Elementary and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
533
Elementary
DISTRICT 382 · STATE 526
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DARLINGTON 01·NCES 450186001749
J. L. Cain Elementary
607 First Street, Darlington, SC 29532 · (843) 398-2450 · Darlington County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY23-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL533 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 15% of South Carolina public elementary schools
- C-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
12.4:1
43 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.7:1 · 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 | 63 | 12% |
| Kindergarten | 79 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 61 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 84 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 97 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 83 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 66 | 12% |
This year's kindergarten class (79) is 20% larger than its 5th grade class (66).
Student demographics
45%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 62% · 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
43.4%
SC avg 59.7% . +8.0pp since 2023
Math
37.3%
SC avg 44.2% . +6.9pp since 2023
What this means: On the SC READY, South Carolina's statewide test, about 43 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 37 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 8 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 7 points.
SC READY results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 43.4% | 37.3% |
| 2023-24 | 35.4% | 30.4% |
% Meets or Exceeds Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SC READY. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where J. L. Cain Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In South Carolina | In Darlington County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 37.3% | #460 of 635 ▲ 45 | #8 of 9 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 43.4% | #537 of 635 ▼ 4 | #8 of 9 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 533 | #316 of 709 | #3 of 12 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.4:1 | #179 of 656 | #3 of 10 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 44.9% | #492 of 656 | #10 of 10 |
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
533
+33 (+7%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
12.4:1
was 14.3:1
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 | 533 | 43 | 12.4:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 569 | 40 | 14.2:1 | 100% (569) |
| 2022-23 | 551 | 43 | 12.8:1 | 100% (551) |
| 2020-21 | 500 | 35 | 14.3:1 | 100% (500) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for J. L. Cain Elementary.
About J. L. Cain Elementary
J. L. Cain Elementary is a medium-sized elementary school in Darlington, South Carolina, one of the schools in Darlington 01. A total of 533 students attend the school, which covers pre-K through 5.
Enrollment across the 18 schools in Darlington 01 totals 8,793 students.
A majority of students at J. L. Cain Elementary, 72%, are Black. Beyond that, enrollment is 17% White, 8% multiracial, and 3% Hispanic. The Black share of the county population is lower, at 41%. By the diversity index, J. L. Cain Elementary comes in at 45%.
Its teaching staff equals 43 full-time positions, a ratio of 12.4:1. That ratio is under the 13.3:1 average for elementary schools in South Carolina.
J. L. Cain Elementary is graded C- by allk12, scoring above 15% of South Carolina public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Census Bureau estimates for Darlington County show that median household income is about $48,581, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 20%, and about 18% of people live in poverty. A total of 21 public schools operate in Darlington County, serving about 9,482 students.
Mayo High For Math Science & Technology is located about 0.6 miles from J. L. Cain Elementary. Other public schools within five miles: 7.
J. L. Cain Elementary is coded as Suburb: Small in federal locale data.
The number of students grew from 500 to 533 over 4 years. The number of students per teacher fell from 14.3 to 12.4 over 4 years.
Posts about school safety, transportation, and start times are welcome on this page. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Darlington County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
62,558
Census ACS
Median income
$48,581
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
20%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
18%
Below federal line
Schools in county
21
9,482 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Darlington 01
- Hartsville HighHigh · 1,129 students
- Darlington HighHigh · 965 students
- Darlington MiddleMiddle · 888 students
- Hartsville MiddleMiddle · 801 students
- St. John's ElementaryElementary · 596 students
- Bay Road ElementaryElementary · 563 students
Other schools in Darlington
- Darlington HighHigh · 965 students
- Darlington MiddleMiddle · 888 students
- St. John's ElementaryElementary · 596 students
- Pate ElementaryElementary · 397 students
- Mayo High For Math Science & TechnologyHigh · 309 students
- Brockington ElementaryElementary · 303 students
Nearby schools
- Mayo High For Math Science & Technology0.6 mi · 309
- St. John's Elementary1.3 mi · 596
- Brockington Elementary1.6 mi · 303
- Darlington High2.1 mi · 965
- Pate Elementary2.2 mi · 397
- Virtus Academy of South Carolina4.4 mi · 756
Frequently asked questions
About J. L. Cain ElementaryHow large is J. L. Cain Elementary?
J. L. Cain Elementary enrolls approximately 533 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does J. L. Cain Elementary serve?
J. L. Cain Elementary serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at J. L. Cain Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at J. L. Cain Elementary is approximately 12.4:1 (43 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at J. L. Cain Elementary?
Student demographics at J. L. Cain Elementary are roughly 17% White, 3% Hispanic, 72% Black, 8% Two or more.
Is J. L. Cain Elementary public or private?
J. L. Cain Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Darlington 01.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.