Middle Schools in Dorchester 02

The 7 middle schools in Dorchester 02, serving grades 6-8 across Summerville, Ladson, and North Charleston, enroll roughly 5,906 students and collectively earn a 4-star district rating, though individual school performance varies dramatically.

For parents, the standout choice is clearly Rollings Middle School of the Arts, a magnet school ranked #6 in the state with a 5-star rating. It posts ELA proficiency rates of 86-89%, math rates of 78-88%, and a chronic absenteeism rate of just 11.7%—less than half the district average of 24%. The best traditional option is East Edisto Middle, ranked #48 and improving steadily, with a perfect 100% pass rate on the Algebra 1 EOCEP and the district's largest enrollment at 1,031 students. On the other end, River Oaks Middle struggles most, ranked #233 with 6th-grade math proficiency at just 18.8%. The middle tier includes Charles B. DuBose Middle (#92), Oakbrook Middle (#111), Gregg Middle (#150), and Alston Middle (#192).

Two counterintuitive patterns stand out. First, higher per-student spending does not translate to better outcomes—the lowest-spending school (East Edisto at $10,878) outperforms the highest-spending one (Alston at $13,300). Second, the two top schools have the largest class sizes (16-17 students per teacher), while struggling schools have smaller ratios (13 per teacher). Math is the biggest differentiator, with a 59-point gap between the highest and lowest 6th-grade proficiency rates. Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide issue affecting five of seven schools, and while every school posts 96-100% Algebra 1 pass rates, this likely reflects selective enrollment in that course. The district's 4-star rating masks these wide internal disparities, making school choice critical for families.