Core Institute

At Alice Drive Elementary in Sumter, children build academic and personal skills in a school community that aims to prepare them for a wider world. The campus at 251 Alice Drive connects classroom learning with clubs and district support.

Alice Drive Middle School is a nationally accredited STEM school through Cognia, and STEM shapes instruction for all of our students rather than a selected few. The Hawks are part of Sumter School District, and our school's name traces back to 1916. Students take Project Lead the Way Gateway courses, and a WeatherSTEM station on campus feeds live weather data into science learning. Our STEM work builds critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, information literacy, appreciation for diversity and learning to learn. Each student works on a school Chromebook. Our guidance counselors help students and families with academic and personal questions, and the Library Media Center supports research and reading. Hawk athletics includes football and volleyball, and families can join our volunteer program. District buses serve our students, and breakfast and lunch are served at school each day.

Cherryvale Elementary School has served the Sumter area since 1967. The Sumter School District campus sits across from Shaw Air Force Base and welcomes children in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade from nearby neighborhoods, rural communities, and military families. Its work in English language arts and math follows a Southern Regional Education Board school focus on stronger student achievement. In classrooms, teachers build reading and writing into daily learning, use hands-on science and math manipulatives, and give students time to solve problems together. Kagan cooperative learning structures help children participate with classmates. Two reading interventionists, a math interventionist, and a reading coach work alongside teachers. Staff use targeted individual and small-group instruction when a student needs a different pace or a closer look at a skill. Cherryvale also puts character and leadership into the school day. Students practice responsibility, critical thinking, and ownership of their learning. Counseling, academic tutorials, physical education, enrichment, and co-curricular activities support them as they prepare for middle school. Families and community members take part in that work with staff; the school serves a distinctive mix of rural, suburban, and Shaw AFB households. Families can visit 1420 Furman Drive in Sumter to ask about enrollment and current programs.