Summary:
Richland 02 is home to four middle schools—Dent Middle, Kelly Mill Middle, Blythewood Middle, and Longleaf Middle—serving roughly 3,700 students in grades 6-8 (with Kelly Mill also covering grades 2-5), and the district itself earns a 3-star rating, ranking 36th out of 75 districts in South Carolina.
If you’re looking at academic performance, Blythewood Middle is the clear standout. It ranks 61st in the state (82nd percentile) with a 4-star rating, a full 126 spots ahead of Dent Middle, which is the next best at 187th. Blythewood posts the highest proficiency rates in nearly every subject—70.4% in ELA and 50.6% in math—and even achieved 100% proficiency on the Algebra 1 EOCEP exam. Meanwhile, Longleaf Middle ranks lowest at 216th (36th percentile), with math proficiency around 26-30%, though its 8th grade ELA (61.7%) actually beats both district and state averages. Kelly Mill Middle and Dent sit in the middle, both earning 2-star ratings, with Dent slightly ahead in state rank.
One of the most surprising findings is that Blythewood Middle achieves its top results while spending the least per student ($12,833) and having the largest class sizes (16.2:1), while Dent Middle spends the most ($15,232) with the smallest classes (12.7:1) yet produces only average results. Chronic absenteeism doesn’t predict performance either—Longleaf Middle has the lowest rate (13.6%) but the lowest rankings, while Dent has the highest (20.6%) but outperforms two other schools. Math is the biggest differentiator across the district, with a wide gap between Blythewood’s 8th grade math (60.4%) and Kelly Mill’s (22.7%). All four schools show strong Algebra 1 EOCEP results (90-100%), suggesting advanced students thrive, but standard grade-level math support is inconsistent. For parents, this district offers dramatically different experiences depending on the school, with Blythewood clearly leading the way.
Thank you for your feedback!