Summary:
In the city of Cope, South Carolina, there is exactly one middle school serving students in grades 6 through 8: Carver Edisto Middle, which is part of the Orangeburg school district.
Carver Edisto Middle enrolls 439 students and has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.7, along with a high per-student spending of $15,823. The school shows a clear strength in its Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam, where 70.36% of students scored proficient in 2024-2025—well above the district average of 64.01% and close to the state average of 73.95%. However, the school faces significant challenges in standard math pathways, particularly in 7th grade where only 8.2% of students were proficient, compared to a 34% state average. English Language Arts scores are mixed, with all grades (6th through 8th) falling below state averages but generally above district averages. The most concerning metric is chronic absenteeism, which stands at 44.8%—more than double the state average of 22.3% and significantly higher than the district's 30.9%.
Despite these challenges, the school is on a positive trajectory. Its state ranking improved dramatically from 307th out of 325 schools (6th percentile) in 2023-2024 to 264th out of 335 (21st percentile) in 2025-2026. Proficiency rates improved in nearly every subject and grade from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, with 6th-grade math jumping from 19.8% to 39.2% and 8th-grade ELA rising from 30.1% to 40.3%. The school consistently outperforms its district average in several areas, including 6th and 7th-grade ELA, 6th-grade math, 6th-grade science, and Algebra 1, making it a relative bright spot within the Orangeburg district. The high Algebra 1 proficiency contrasted with low standard math scores suggests that advanced students are thriving, but there may be equity concerns regarding access to advanced coursework. Overall, Carver Edisto Middle shows promising improvement, though chronic absenteeism remains a critical barrier to broader academic success.
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