Summary
Long Middle in Cheraw, SC, serves 406 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Chesterfield 01 school district, with a favorable 12.3:1 student-teacher ratio and a student body where 100% qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Academically, Long Middle shows a mixed picture. The school ranks in the bottom quarter of South Carolina middle schools (25th percentile) with a 1-star rating, but it outperforms district averages in several key areas. Most notably, 7th graders achieved 58.4% proficiency in ELA and 34.5% in math—both well above district averages—representing a remarkable 20-point jump in math from the prior year. However, 6th graders lag behind district averages, particularly in science (32.2% vs. 40.7%). The school's most pressing concern is chronic absenteeism, which spiked dramatically from 20.8% to 29.4% in a single year—far exceeding both district (24.1%) and state (22.3%) rates. With nearly one in three students chronically absent, this likely undermines academic progress and represents the school's biggest opportunity for improvement. Historically, 8th grade math has been a severe weakness, with proficiency rates as low as 3.1% in 2023-2024, though the most recent year shows improvement to 24.6%.
Compared to Chesterfield-Ruby Middle, the district's other middle school, Long Middle actually outperforms it in 7th grade math (34.5% vs. 17.2%) but trails significantly in 6th grade science (32.2% vs. 63.2%). Long Middle spends more per student ($14,309) than Chesterfield-Ruby ($13,624) or Blenheim Middle School of Discovery ($13,264), yet outcomes don't consistently reflect that higher investment. Encouragingly, students from low-income backgrounds have shown improvement, rising from the 21st to 32nd percentile statewide, and the dramatic gains in 7th and 8th grade math suggest recent instructional changes may be taking hold. However, the school faces significant challenges serving students with disabilities (bottom 5th percentile) and providing adequate enrichment for gifted students (12th percentile).
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