Barnwell Elementary School is helping all students develop the world class skills and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing a safe and academically challenging learning environment. Our theme for 2020-2021 is “Stronger Together.” We are a proud Title I school that continues its tradition of providing students with a quality educational program in a caring and nurturing environment.  Our mission is to prepare our students for lifelong success by providing individualized learning experiences.  Our main goal is to build a safe and positive learning environment where staff and students enjoy coming to school every day to learn, and where parents are proud to have their children attend. We believe it is important to model respect and foster a caring school culture where everyone feels valued and appreciated. Finally, we believe in building partnerships between school, home, and community.

Barnwell Elementary continues to provide students with a well-rounded curriculum that is aligned with the South Carolina State Standards.  Using a wide array of strategies, materials and methodologies, the teachers strive to differentiate their instruction to address the educational needs and learning styles of each student. Our school utilizes a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) to assist students that need additional help in academics and/or behavior. Our teachers work collaboratively with interventionists and instructional coaches to provide our students with comprehensive support.

With the support of various grants and community partnerships, additional funds enabled our students to go beyond the typical elementary school curriculum.  These funds assisted with enhancing our current school initiatives. 

One aspect that contributes to Barnwell Elementary’s success is the dedication of the hardworking staff and the continued support of local community and parents. In addition to giving to our students, at BES we teach our students to also give back to the community.  The school supported many community outreach initiatives such as a can food drive which collected more than 3,000 non-perishable items for our local food bank, Toys for Tots, and many more.

Our PBIS program, with a goal of all our students becoming caring, responsible, and trustworthy citizens continued in the 2020-2021 school year. Students were able to select items from our “Mighty Mustang Mall” if their name was selected from the pool of students with no discipline referrals for the week. With our emphasis on character development, we continue to move forward in our quest to build responsible citizens who will go out each day and make the right choices. 

The success of Barnwell Elementary can be attributed to the participation, involvement, and collaborative efforts of dedicated students, parents, community members, and staff that see the value and need for a quality education.

Kay M. Gooding, Principal

Hillary Hindman, SIC Chairperson