School's out for summer. But a large number of kids in our area will head back early for summer school.

NBC Augusta has learned, in Columbia County alone, more than 750 5th and 8th graders could attend summer school because of poor performance on the CRCT.

That number is unusually high. It's more than two times the number of kids that attended summer school last year. And if these kids don’t do better on the CRCT they could be held back.

Sylvan Learning Center is the last hope for many desperate parents whose kids failed the math portion of the CRCT.

"I'm astounded quite surprised that my son failed the test," said Bernadette McKee, parent.

She says her son made B's and C's in math all year. But the 5th grader failed the math section of the CRCT.

"It was hard because some of my teachers didn't tell me what some of this stuff was on the test," said Romero McKee, 5th grader.

Romero McKee is one of 286 Columbia County 5th graders who could be held back, if he doesn't pass the test this summer.

But his parents aren't taking chances. Rather than sending him to summer school, Romero will spend the next three weeks at Sylvan Learning Center preparing to take the test again.

"We're getting people in for testing as quickly as we can. We're dealing with a great sense of urgency because we have such a short amount of time before the retake in June," said Misty Gleason, Sylvan owner.

And for many students these next three weeks could mean the difference between moving on to the next grade or being held behind.

"I expect him to pass. He passed all year, there is no reason for him to be detained this year," said McKee.

Columbia County had to hire extra summer school teachers to meet the need. That will cost $35,000 more than expected. Richmond County did not return our requests for test results Tuesday.

Sylvan Learning Center says children at schools with ‘Needs Improvement Status' could get funding to send their kids to Sylvan for free. Contact your school district for more information.