Summary:
Lyman, South Carolina, is home to a single middle school, D. R. Hill Middle, which serves grades 6 through 8 and enrolls 562 students as part of the Spartanburg 05 school district.
For parents, the standout feature of D. R. Hill Middle is its exceptional performance in advanced mathematics: students taking the Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam achieved a perfect 100% proficiency rate, far outpacing the district (75.25%) and state (73.95%) averages. The school has also shown steady improvement in its statewide ranking, climbing from 140th to 112th out of 335 middle schools over three years, placing it in the 67th percentile with a 3-star rating. However, performance varies by grade and subject. Seventh grade is a clear strength, with ELA proficiency at 67.4% (7.9 points above the state) and math at 49.4% (7.6 points above the state). In contrast, 8th-grade ELA (58%) and math (46.5%) lag behind district averages, and 6th-grade science (49.4%) falls below both district and state benchmarks. The school invests heavily in its students, spending $14,394 per pupil and maintaining a favorable 11.1:1 student-teacher ratio, which supports smaller classes and more individualized attention.
The most pressing concern is chronic absenteeism, which sits at 26.3%—notably higher than the district’s 19.1% and the state’s 22.3%. This disconnect between strong resources and high absenteeism suggests that many students are missing out on the benefits of the school’s investment. Additionally, scores can fluctuate significantly year to year, as seen with 8th-grade math jumping from 32.2% to 46.5% proficiency in one year, indicating that outcomes are heavily influenced by the specific cohort of students. For parents, this means D. R. Hill Middle offers excellent advanced math preparation and a positive upward trend, but addressing attendance and supporting 8th-grade transitions could unlock even greater success.
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