Middle Schools in Lexington 02

The four middle schools in Lexington 02—Northside Middle, R. H. Fulmer Middle, Cyril B. Busbee Creative Arts Academy, and Pine Ridge Middle—serve grades 6-8 and enroll roughly 1,875 students combined, with the district ranking in the bottom third of South Carolina (29th percentile).

For parents, the standout choice is R. H. Fulmer Middle, which leads the group with a 49th percentile state ranking (172nd of 335) and is the only school earning 2 stars. It outperforms district and state averages in nearly every subject, especially 8th-grade math (56.2% vs. 44.2% state), and has shown steady improvement over three years. At the other end, Pine Ridge Middle struggles most, ranking 289th (14th percentile) with a downward trend and weak scores in 8th-grade ELA (34.9%) and math (25.6%). Cyril B. Busbee Creative Arts Academy is steady but middling (28th percentile), while Northside Middle is inconsistent—strong in 8th-grade ELA (52.8%) but very weak in 6th and 7th-grade math (17.8% and 17.3%).

A few key takeaways stand out. All four schools post remarkable EOCEP Algebra 1 scores (95-100%), yet struggle with standard math proficiency, suggesting a highly selective advanced math pathway. Mathematics is the universal weakness across the district, while ELA is the relative strength. Notably, Pine Ridge Middle spends the most per student ($17,076) but performs worst, while R. H. Fulmer Middle spends the least ($15,079) and performs best, indicating spending doesn't drive success. Chronic absenteeism exceeds the state average (22.3%) at all schools, with R. H. Fulmer Middle highest (26.8%) yet still top-performing. Finally, math scores fluctuate sharply year-to-year, as seen in Cyril B. Busbee Creative Arts Academy's 8th-grade math jumping from 21.3% to 44.1% in one year.