Colleton County Middle

Colleton County Middle in Walterboro, SC, serves 931 students in grades 6 through 8 and is the sole middle school for the Colleton 01 district, a rural community where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Academically, this school is performing well below state averages across all subjects and grade levels, ranking in the bottom 7th percentile statewide. When compared to nearby Woodland Middle School, the gaps are significant. In 8th grade math, only 13.9% of Colleton County Middle students are proficient, compared to 33.9% at Woodland Middle—a 20 percentage-point difference. Similar gaps exist in English Language Arts, where 8th grade proficiency is 31.7% versus 54.4% at Woodland. The school also has larger class sizes on average, with a student-teacher ratio of 13.3 compared to Woodland's 11.9. One of the biggest challenges is chronic absenteeism: 38.4% of students are chronically absent, nearly double the state average of 22.3%, and this rate has remained persistently high for three years.

Despite these struggles, there are bright spots worth noting. The school's Algebra 1 program is exceptional—students in this advanced track achieved a perfect 100% proficiency rate on the state end-of-course exam, far exceeding district and state averages. The school also shows notable strength in supporting English Language Learners, who ranked in the 51st percentile statewide, the highest rating of any subgroup. However, disabled students are severely under-served, ranking in the 3rd percentile. The school spends a substantial $14,772 per pupil, yet outcomes remain low, suggesting that financial resources alone aren't solving challenges tied to poverty and attendance. For parents, this school offers strong advanced math opportunities and ELL support, but the general student population faces significant academic hurdles that require targeted attention.