Best Elementary Schools in the Charleston, SC Area

Are you looking for information on the top public elementary schools in the Charleston area? Below you'll find rankings on some of the best Charleston-area elementary schools including Buist Academy, Mount Pleasant Academy, Beech Hill Elementary School, and Daniel Island School. We also have data to help you compare such top traditional public elementary schools to the area's best charter schools including East Cooper Montessori Charter School, Orange Grove Charter School, Cape Romain Environmental Education Charter School, and Carolina Voyager Charter School.

The list below is not meant be used as a definitive guide to which Charleston-area elementary school would be best for any individual child. For schools that are close to one another in rankings, differences in available data are in most cases very small.

Top Elementary Schools in the Charleston Area

Rank	School Name	City	School Type	Grades Served
1	Haut Gap Middle School	John's Island, SC	Regular	5-8
2	Daniel Island School	Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-8
3	Mount Pleasant Academy	Mt. Pleasant, SC	Regular	PK-5
4	Beech Hill Elementary School	Summerville, SC	Regular	PK-5
5	Buist Academy	Charleston, SC	Regular	K-8
6	Charles Pinckney Elementary School	Mt. Pleasant, SC	Regular	3-5
7	Ashley River Creative Arts	Charleston, SC	Regular	K-5
8	Mamie Whitesides Elementary School	Mt. Pleasant, SC	Regular	PK-5
9	Montessori Community School	Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-8
10	Jennie Moore Elementary School	Mt. Pleasant, SC	Regular	PK-5
11	Orange Grove Charter School	Charleston, SC	Charter	PK-8
12	Sullivan's Island Elementary School	Sullivan's Island, SC	Regular	PK-5
13	Carolina Park Elementary School	Mount Pleasant, SC	Other	PK-5
14	Belle Hall Elementary School	Mt. Pleasant, SC	Regular	PK-5
15	Stiles Point Elementary School	Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
16	East Cooper Montessori Charter School	Mt. Pleasant, SC	Charter	PK-8
17	Sand Hill Elementary School	Summerville, SC	Regular	PK-5
18	Harbor View Elementary School	Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
19	Fort Dorchester Elementary School	Summerville, SC	Regular	PK-5
20	Howe Hall AIMS Elementary School	Goose Creek, SC	Regular	K-5
21	Nexton Elementary School	Summerville, SC	Regular	PK-5
22	William M Reeves Elementary School	Summerville, SC	Regular	PK-5
23	Philip Simmons Elementary School	Wando, SC	Regular	PK-4
24	Hanahan Middle School	Hanahan, SC	Regular	6-8
25	Hanahan Elementary School	Hanahan, SC	Regular	PK-5
26	Westview Elementary School	Goose Creek, SC	Regular	3-5
27	Cape Romain Environmental Education Charter School	McClellanville, SC	Charter	PK-8
28	Knightsville Elementary School	Summerville, SC	Regular	PK-5
29	Marrington Elementary School	Goose Creek, SC	Regular	PK-5
30	Philip Simmons Middle School	Wando, SC	Regular	5-8
31	James B Edwards Elementary School	Mt. Pleasant, SC	Regular	PK-5
32	Joseph R Pye Elementary School	Ladson, SC	Regular	PK-5
33	James H. Spann Elementary School	Summerville, SC	Regular	PK-5
34	Cane Bay Middle School	Summerville, SC	Regular	5-8
35	Newington Elementary School	Summerville, SC	Regular	PK-5
36	James Island Elementary School	Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
37	Drayton Hall Elementary School	Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
38	Dr. Eugene Sires Elementary School	Summerville, SC	Regular	PK-5
39	Summerville Elementary School	Summerville, SC	Regular	PK-5
40	Flowertown Elementary School	Summerville, SC	Regular	PK-5
41	St. Andrew's School of Math and Science	Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
42	Whitesville Elementary School	Moncks Corner, SC	Regular	PK-5
43	Cane Bay Elementary School	Summerville, SC	Regular	PK-4
44	Windsor Hill Arts Infused Elementary	North Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
45	Alston-Bailey Elementary School	Summerville, SC	Regular	PK-5
46	Williams Memorial Elementary School	St. George, SC	Regular	PK-5
47	Devon Forest Elementary School	Goose Creek, SC	Regular	PK-5
48	Clay Hill Elementary School	Ridgeville, SC	Regular	PK-5
49	Oakland Elementary School	Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
50	Carolina Voyager Charter School	Charleston, SC	Charter	K-6
51	Oakbrook Elementary School	Ladson, SC	Regular	PK-5
52	Sangaree Intermediate	Summerville, SC	Regular	3-5
53	Boulder Bluff Elementary School	Goose Creek, SC	Regular	PK-5
54	Charleston Develop. Charter School	Charleston, SC	Charter	PK-8
55	Eagle Nest Elementary School	North Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
56	J K Gourdin Elementary School	Pineville, SC	Regular	PK-5
57	Henry E Bonner Elementary School	Moncks Corner, SC	Regular	PK-5
58	Berkeley Intermediate	Moncks Corner, SC	Regular	3-5
59	Mount Zion Elementary School	Johns Island, SC	Regular	PK-5
60	Lowcountry Leadership Charter School	Meggett, SC	Charter	K-12
61	North Charleston Arts Creative Arts Elementary School	North Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
62	Lambs Elementary School	North Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
63	College Park Elementary School	Ladson, SC	Regular	PK-5
64	St Stephen Elementary School	St. Stephen, SC	Regular	PK-5
65	Meeting St. Elementary School	North Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
66	Springfield Elementary School	Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
67	Cross Elementary School	Cross, SC	Regular	PK-6
68	Murray LaSaine Elementary School	Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-6
69	Harleyville Elementary School	Dorchester, SC	Regular	PK-5
70	Angel Oak Elementary School	Johns Island, SC	Regular	PK-5
71	Mitchell Elementary School	Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
72	Malcolm C Hursey Elementary School	North Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-8
73	A C Corcoran Elementary School	North Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
74	Ladson Elementary School	Ladson, SC	Regular	PK-5
75	Sedgefield Intermediate	Goose Creek, SC	Regular	PK-5
76	Charleston Progressive School	Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
77	James Simons Elementary School	Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-8
78	Minnie Hughes Elementary School	Younges Island , SC	Regular	PK-5
79	Cainhoy Elementary School	Huger, SC	Regular	PK-5
80	Stono Park Elementary School	Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
81	Matilda Dunston Elementary School	North Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-3
82	St James-Santee Elementary School	McClellanville, SC	Regular	PK-8
83	Hunley Park Elementary School	North Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
84	W B Goodwin Elementary School	North Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
85	Memminger Elementary School	Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
86	Pinehurst Elementary School	North Charleston, SC	Regular	1-5
87	North Charleston Elementary School	North Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
88	Pepperhill Elementary School	North Charleston, SC	Regular	PK-5
89	E.B. Ellington Elementary School	Ravenel, SC	Regular	PK-5
90	Deer Park Middle School	North Charleston, SC	Regular	6-8

Rankings for the best elementary schools in the Charleston area were created independently by Carolina School Hub. The test data for this site was derived from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and South Carolina Department of Education.

You can click on a specific school name above for more information on elementary school test scores, student data and more.

Choosing an Elementary School in the Charleston Area

When comparing regular Charleston-area elementary schools to charter and magnet schools, one should keep in mind the differences between charter schools, magnet schools and traditional public schools.

Magnet schools are in most cases alternative public schools that offer a specialized curriculum. At the highest level, North and South Carolina magnet schools and traditional elementary schools tend to be managed by the same entity - the county school superintendent's office. Magnet schools normally can accept students from anywhere in the county in which they are located, and often limit the acceptance pool through a lottery system.

Charter schools, on the other hand, are each independently managed. They tend to accept students not only from the county in which they're located, but surrounding counties as well. Like magnets, charters tend to use a lottery-based acceptance method.

Regular elementary schools are sometimes called "zoned schools," "neighborhood schools" or "zip code schools." This is because they accept students from a limited geographical area - such as a town or a specific set of subdivisions. Regular schools do not tend to use a lottery system. Regular elementary schools are the most common kinds of schools in North and South Carolina.

Which Elementary Schools are Covered in the Charleston Area

We hope you find the ratings and other information on elementary schools in the Charleston area to be useful. Elementary Schools on this page were drawn from the following counties:

• Charleston County, SC
• Berkeley County, SC
• Dorchester County, SC