Summary:
Clifdale Middle is the sole middle school serving grades 6-8 in the Spartanburg 03 district, which ranks in the top 13% of South Carolina districts with a 4-star rating.
This school has shown remarkable recent progress, jumping from a 3-star to a 4-star rating in just one year. The most dramatic gains came in 6th grade, where math proficiency soared by 21.6 percentage points (from 33.6% to 55.2%), ELA improved by 19.9 points (to 68.0%), and science jumped 22.3 points (to 56.9%). These scores now exceed state averages in most subjects and grades. The school also boasts a perfect 100% proficiency rate on the Algebra 1 EOCEP exam, a stunning 26-point advantage over the state average—though this likely reflects a selective group of advanced 8th graders. With a favorable 13.4:1 student-teacher ratio and per-student spending of $14,637, the school is well-resourced to support its academic mission.
However, there are areas of concern. Chronic absenteeism sits at 28.0%, notably higher than the state's 22.3%, which suggests many students are missing significant instructional time despite the school's strong results. There's also a noticeable dip in 7th-grade performance—math proficiency falls to 43.4% and ELA to 58.4%—before rebounding in 8th grade, possibly due to the advanced Algebra track. The school's scores exactly match district averages since it's the only middle school in the district, making its performance directly representative of Spartanburg 03's middle-level education. Overall, Clifdale Middle is on a clear upward trajectory, but addressing attendance and the 7th-grade slump could unlock even greater achievements.
Thank you for your feedback!