Edgefield County Schools & Education
Edgefield County, South Carolina
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
35/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Lower Signal
Graduation Rate
85.0%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
85.0%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 84.2%
Per-Pupil Spending
$7,273
National avg $13,239
State avg $7,165
School Score
35/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 33/100
State Score Position
#22
of 46 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Edgefield County
Measured School Summary
Edgefield County faces educational challenges with a school score of 35/100 and a graduation rate of 85.0%, falling below typical benchmarks.
Funding Context
At $7,273 per pupil, Edgefield County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 6% above the South Carolina average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 0.8 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 2% higher than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Edgefield County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
11 public schools and 1 district are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
35/100
Lower measured signal. Ranks #22 of 46 South Carolina counties with school score data.
Completion
85.0%
0.8 pts above the state average
Funding context
$7,273
$108 above the state average
School coverage
11
1 district represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Edgefield County has 11 public schools across 1 district, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Edgefield County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Dominant-district county
Edgefield 01 carries most of the listed public-school system, with 8 of 11 schools. Start there, then verify whether your target address sits inside that district slice.
State position
#22
of 46 South Carolina counties with school score data. The county score is 2 points above the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
Edgefield 01
Elementary to high school visible
3,100 students
8 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
Edgefield 01 is the largest listed district slice, with 8 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Edgefield County?
Which attendance zones, transfer rules, and transportation policies apply inside the local district?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Edgefield County Features One Main Local District and Significant Charter Share
Education data brief for Edgefield County, South Carolina.
Edgefield County’s public education is structured primarily around Edgefield 01, which manages eight of the county’s 11 schools. Notably, charter schools make up 18.2% of the county's total school count, with Fox Creek High operating as a charter facility serving 659 students. The county’s largest school is Merriwether Elementary with 768 students. Edgefield’s graduation rate is 85.0%, slightly above the state average of 84.2% but below the national average of 87.0%. Per-pupil spending is $7,273, which is just above the South Carolina average of $7,165 but falls short of the national $13,000 benchmark. The county’s composite school score of 35.0 is slightly higher than the state average of 33.4. Most facilities are located in rural areas. Consult the NCES directory for specific school assignments.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
11
in Edgefield County
Reported Enrollment
3,875
11 schools reporting
School Districts
1
district
Charter Schools
2
18% of total
School Level Breakdown
1 School District in Edgefield County
Edgefield 01
11 Public Schools in Edgefield County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 11 of 11 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merriwether Elementary | Record | Edgefield 01 | North Augusta, 29860Rural: Fringe | PK–5 | Primary | 768 |
| Strom Thurmond High | Record | Edgefield 01 | Johnston, 29832Rural: Fringe | 9–12 | High | 748 |
| Fox Creek High | Record | SC Public Charter School District | North Augusta, 29860Suburb: Large | 9–12 | Charter | 659 |
| Johnston-Edgefield-Trenton Middle | Record | Edgefield 01 | Johnston, 29832Rural: Fringe | 6–8 | Middle | 387 |
| W. E. Parker Elementary | Record | Edgefield 01 | Edgefield, 29824Rural: Fringe | PK–5 | Primary | 375 |
| Merriwether Middle | Record | Edgefield 01 | North Augusta, 29860Rural: Fringe | 6–8 | Middle | 367 |
| Johnston Elementary | Record | Edgefield 01 | Johnston, 29832Rural: Distant | PK–5 | Primary | 254 |
| Douglas Elementary | Record | Edgefield 01 | Trenton, 29847Rural: Distant | PK–5 | Primary | 201 |
| Bettis Preparatory Leadership Academy | Record | SC Public Charter School District | Trenton, 29847Rural: Fringe | KG–8 | Charter | 111 |
| Trenton High | Record | Dept Of Correction N04 | Trenton, 29847Rural: Distant | 9–12 | Alternative | 5 |
| Strom Thurmond Career and Technology Center | Record | Edgefield 01 | Johnston, 29832Rural: Fringe | 9–12 | Vocational | 0 |
Fox Creek High
SC Public Charter School District
North Augusta, 29860 / Suburb: Large
Johnston-Edgefield-Trenton Middle
Edgefield 01
Johnston, 29832 / Rural: Fringe
Bettis Preparatory Leadership Academy
SC Public Charter School District
Trenton, 29847 / Rural: Fringe
Strom Thurmond Career and Technology Center
Edgefield 01
Johnston, 29832 / Rural: Fringe
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$7,273
State avg $7,165
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Edgefield County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
Open CompareBrowse Public Schools
See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
Which South Carolina counties have the highest graduation rates?
What is per-pupil spending like in South Carolina?
How should I read the school score in Edgefield County?
What is the graduation rate in Edgefield County?
How much does Edgefield County spend per student?
Counties with Similar School Profile
Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.