Chicora Elementary, 3100 Carner Ave.: first grade through fifth grade, 316 students in 2024-25, rated Below Average on the state report card.
Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the school’s website and administration page; Charleston County School District’s school lookup tool, 2026-27 academic calendar and 2026-27 bell schedule; the S.C. Department of Education’s 2024-25 report card data files; the federal NCES school directory.
Chicora Elementary is a Charleston County School District school for first through fifth grade on Carner Avenue, next to Military Magnet Academy, in the Chicora-Cherokee area. Its zone is paired with the Mary Ford Early Learning and Family Center, which takes the 3- and 4-year-olds and kindergarten. It earned a Below Average overall rating, with 41 points, on South Carolina’s 2024-25 report card. The district lists Chicora among its Elevation Schools on its website.
Who to call
- Front office: 843-746-2210, 3100 Carner Ave.
- School website: chicora.ccsdschools.com
- Enrolling a new student: register at the zoned school; the district lists what to bring on its required documents page. District office: 843-937-6300
- Which school is my address zoned for? the district’s school lookup tool
- Buses: the district’s transportation page, with its 2026-27 bus stop locator
| Address | 3100 Carner Ave., North Charleston, SC 29405 |
| Phone | 843-746-2210 |
| Grades | 1 to 5 |
| District | Charleston County School District |
| School hours | 7:25 a.m. to 2:25 p.m. |
| State school ID | 1001033 |
Principal
Principal Monica Smalls, according to the school’s administration page.
Enrollment and teachers
- State count: 316 students in the 2024-25 school year, according to the state’s report card data.
- Federal count: 318 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 10 students per teacher.
State report card
South Carolina rates every public school each year as Excellent, Good, Average, Below Average or Unsatisfactory. An Excellent rating means “school performance substantially exceeds the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of the SC Graduate,” according to the state’s report card site. The overall rating is built from indicators such as academic achievement, preparing for success, student progress, English learners’ progress and school climate, with graduation rate and college and career readiness added for high schools.
2024-25 rating: Below Average, 41 points. On the state’s elementary scale, Excellent 61 to 100, Good 53 to 60, Average 42 to 52, Below Average 34 to 41 and Unsatisfactory 33 and below.
| Indicator | 2024-25 rating |
|---|---|
| Academic achievement | Below Average |
| Preparing for success | Unsatisfactory |
| Student progress | Average |
| English learners’ progress | Average |
| School climate | Average |
On the spring 2025 SC READY tests in grades 3 to 5, 34.6% of students met or exceeded expectations in English language arts and 27.8% in math; on the state science test, 12.5% did, according to the state’s report card data. Across the district, in grades 3 to 8, the figures were 67.6% in English, 56.2% in math and 57.2% in science.
The full report card, with test results by group, teacher data, school safety and spending, is on the state’s SC School Report Cards site. The state publishes new ratings each fall.
Attendance zone
Check an address with the district’s school lookup tool, which the district links from its lookup page. In the zone layers behind that tool, the Chicora zone feeds Morningside Middle and then North Charleston High; where a zone is split, the street address decides. We did not find a published feeder list on the district’s site, so these pairings come from the district’s own zone layers, from the 2025-26 school year.
Proposed changes for 2027-28: the district is considering attendance line changes in North Charleston to make room for more 3K and 4K classes, according to its pre-K expansion page. No change has been adopted. The remaining community meetings are at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Malcolm C. Hursey Montessori and 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at North Charleston Elementary. The district says the Mary Ford and Chicora zone could grow by up to 80 students between the two schools.
Calendar and school hours
Chicora follows Charleston County School District’s 2026-27 calendar. Coming dates from the academic calendar (PDF):
- Tuesday, Oct. 13: first day of the second quarter
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: Election Day, schools closed
- Nov. 23-24: no school; both are weather make-up days if the district needs them
- Nov. 25-27: fall break
- Friday, Dec. 18: half day
- Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter break; students return Tuesday, Jan. 5
School hours: 7:25 a.m. to 2:25 p.m., with arrival from 7 a.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell schedule (PDF). Early-release days end at 12:25 p.m. and half days at 10:40 a.m.
More
- The district’s elementary schools page
- Every public school in North Charleston, with zones and report cards
- Our North Charleston schools guide for the district calendars, enrollment and the school board
Frequently asked questions
What grades does Chicora serve?
Chicora Elementary serves first through fifth grade. Younger children in its zone attend the Mary Ford Early Learning and Family Center.
What is Chicora’s school rating?
Chicora was rated Below Average, with 41 points, on South Carolina’s 2024-25 school report card, the latest the state has published.
Which high school does Chicora feed into?
In Charleston County School District’s zone layers, the Chicora zone feeds Morningside Middle and then North Charleston High, depending on the street.
What time does Chicora start?
The school day runs 7:25 a.m. to 2:25 p.m., with arrival from 7 a.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell schedule.
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