Summary:
There are 17 schools in Aiken, South Carolina, serving approximately 9,711 students across elementary, middle, and high school levels, with the majority belonging to the Aiken 01 district, which holds a mid-tier 3-star state ranking.
For parents, the standout school is Aiken Scholars Academy, a small high school with just 176 students that earns a 5-star rating and ranks 4th in the state. It boasts a 100% graduation rate, 0% dropout rate, and only 2.2% chronic absenteeism—far better than the state averages. However, it spends $41,824 per student, nearly four times the district norm, raising equity questions. Among middle schools, Tall Pines STEM Academy is the clear leader with a 4-star rating and 80th percentile ranking, outperforming all traditional Aiken 01 middle schools. At the elementary level, Millbrook Elementary shows consistent excellence, with 4th-grade ELA proficiency at 78.3% and science at 67.5%, both well above state averages. Interestingly, Horse Creek Academy, despite being classified as an alternative school, achieves a 90% graduation rate and serves the largest enrollment at 1,392 students, outperforming traditional high schools like Aiken High (79.8%) and Silver Bluff High (80.4%).
The most pressing concern is the middle school math crisis. Schofield Middle has just 9.4% 8th-grade math proficiency and a 48% chronic absenteeism rate—double the state average—while M.B. Kennedy Middle sits at 22.2% math proficiency. There is also a clear achievement cliff between elementary and middle school; for example, East Aiken School of the Arts 5th-grade math proficiency of 60.5% drops to just 20.6% by 7th grade at Schofield. Chronic absenteeism is also problematic at J.D. Lever Elementary (34.1%) and North Aiken Elementary (33.6%). While North Aiken Elementary is improving from a 0-star to 1-star rating, the district overall masks wide disparities, with schools ranging from the 98th to 13th percentile in state rankings.
Thank you for your feedback!