Best Middle Schools in Cayce, SC

There is just one public middle school serving the city of Cayce, South Carolina: Cyril B. Busbee Creative Arts Academy, a grades 6-8 school with 442 students in the Lexington 02 district.

For parents considering this school, the most striking finding is its exceptional performance in advanced math. The school posted a 99.99% proficiency rate on the Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam, far exceeding both the district (60.42%) and state (73.95%). This suggests that students who are placed in the advanced math track receive outstanding preparation. However, this strength does not carry over to standard grade-level subjects. In English Language Arts, proficiency rates lag the state average by roughly 11 to 17 points across all grades. Standard math scores are also below state averages, though there is a notable positive trend: proficiency climbs from 20.6% in 6th grade to 44.1% in 8th grade, nearly matching the state average of 44.2%. The school also maintains a low student-teacher ratio of 12.6 to 1, which may allow for more individualized attention, and spends $16,055 per student.

One area of concern is chronic absenteeism. At 25.9%, the rate is slightly better than the district's 26.2% but noticeably worse than the state's 22.3%. This could be impacting overall achievement. The school's state ranking has been remarkably stable, hovering around the 28th percentile for three consecutive years, indicating consistent but not improving performance relative to other schools. The school's creative arts focus is a unique differentiator, though the data does not include any metrics on arts outcomes. Overall, this is a school with a distinct identity: it excels at preparing a select group of students for advanced math, offers smaller class sizes, and provides a specialized arts environment, but struggles to bring the majority of its students to state proficiency in core subjects. Families prioritizing advanced math opportunities or a creative arts environment may find this school appealing, while those focused on overall test scores may want to explore other options.