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Spaulding Middle

Q: Is Spaulding Middle a good school?

Spaulding Middle ranks 186 th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

186^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 341 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 45% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

Spaulding Middle is a small school in Lamar, South Carolina, serving 228 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Darlington 01 school district, where all students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

One of the most impressive things about Spaulding is its Algebra 1 program. In the most recent school year, over 90% of students scored proficient on the end-of-course exam, and the year before that, every single student passed. That's dramatically better than both the district and state averages, and it puts Spaulding on par with the best-performing middle schools in the area. The school also shows a strong pattern of improvement in math as students move up—while 6th grade math scores lag behind the state, 7th and 8th grade scores meet or exceed state averages. Another standout is attendance: Spaulding has cut its chronic absenteeism rate nearly in half over the past few years, from 28% down to 15.1%. That's the lowest rate among all nearby middle schools, and far better than the district average of 23.4%. The school also maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.6:1, and spends more per student ($18,777) than most of its neighbors, which likely reflects the extra support needed for its high-poverty population.

However, there are some areas of concern. English Language Arts scores show significant year-to-year variability, and while 8th grade reading was well above the state average one year, it fell below the next. There's also a growing gap in performance between female and male students, with girls now scoring much higher than boys on state assessments. Additionally, while the school's overall ranking has been stable in the middle tier of South Carolina middle schools, it slipped from the 57th-58th percentile range to the 45th percentile in the most recent year. When compared to Lee Central Middle, the closest school geographically, Spaulding outperforms it in nearly every category—from math and reading proficiency to attendance—suggesting that the school's strategies around attendance and math instruction are making a real difference for students.

228

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,539

Per pupil spending ?

69.9%

Directly certified for free meals (2023-24) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2023-24)

400 East Cartersville Highway
Lamar, SC 29069

(843) 326-7625

District: Darlington 01

Students who attend Spaulding Middle usually attend:

High:

Lamar High

Feeder schools for Spaulding Middle:

Elementary:

Lamar-Spaulding Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

50.4%

White:

33.8%

Two or more races:

9.6%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare Spaulding Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 46th percentile in 2016 → 45th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (45% vs 51% meeting standards)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg44%

South Carolina avg51%

186^th of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 45%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Middle Schools in the Darlington 01

45^th of 75Darlington 01 among South Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.5	186 of 341	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.6	137 of 321	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.7	137 of 322	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.4	182 of 325	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.2	147 of 310	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.1	154 of 311	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.2	138 of 315	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.2	161 of 303	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.0	207 of 317	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	45.6	165 of 303	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	36.5	194 of 301	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	38.4	191 of 291	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	38.5	186 of 276	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	48.9	155 of 271	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	38.7	187 of 269	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	50.8	148 of 261	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	24.8	206 of 249	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	29.3	194 of 244	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	27.3	197 of 236	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	29.0	178 of 231	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	34.1	165 of 230	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	11.5	215 of 230	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	11.6	208 of 225	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.1	165 of 258	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	55.1	93 of 251	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.5	51 of 246	79.3%	★★★★☆
2023	58.5	80 of 253	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.6	92 of 249	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.3	83 of 235	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.0	108 of 252	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.5	145 of 237	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.9	132 of 310	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.0	91 of 295	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.3	132 of 293	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.2	136 of 299	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.9	124 of 290	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.1	142 of 279	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.6	173 of 296	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.7	173 of 281	38.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.9	145 of 325	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.8	117 of 308	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.0	99 of 304	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.9	121 of 313	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.3	101 of 300	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.4	100 of 288	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.3	96 of 289	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.0	149 of 280	46.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.1	207 of 310	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.4	186 of 298	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.5	127 of 292	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	31.0	203 of 303	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.2	152 of 292	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.3	148 of 279	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.0	103 of 296	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.6	130 of 284	54.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.5	128 of 271	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	70.9	66 of 259	74.5%	★★★★☆
2024	70.7	68 of 256	73.4%	★★★★☆
2023	42.9	139 of 260	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.6	98 of 249	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.3	141 of 244	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.9	99 of 258	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.5	111 of 250	55.6%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Female (2026)57th percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)55th percentile+10 vs school

White (2026)53rd percentile+7 vs school

African American (2026)36th percentile-9 vs school

Male (2026)33rd percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts53%-5 vs state

Science42%-10 vs state

Mathematics37%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Spaulding Middle

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SC READY English Language Arts (2026)			SC READY Mathematics (2026)			SC READY Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Directly certified (2023-24)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SC READY English Language Arts 6th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 8th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 7th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 8th Grade	SC READY Science 6th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Spaulding Middle	Public	6-8	400 East Cartersville Highway	Lamar	29069	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 326-7625	228	18	12.6	69.9%	77 (33.8%)	115 (50.4%)	13 (5.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (9.6%)	42.5	186^th of 341 public middle schools	45.5%		51.6	137^th of 321 public middle schools	57.3%	49	55.1	53.3	50.6	26.9	42.9	41.4	42.3	$17,539	$1,048	$1,024	$2,072	$13,162	$2,305	$15,467
Lee Central Middle	Public	6-8	41 Charlene Lane	Bishopville	29010	Lee County	Lee 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 428-2100	288	28	10.2	86.7%	23 (8.0%)	252 (87.5%)	10 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	6.2	331^st of 341 public middle schools	2.9%		8.8	309^th of 321 public middle schools	3.7%	22	24.5	32.1	33.7	11.7	15.4	9.6	19.1	$51,211	$3,284	$17,137	$20,422	$15,637	$15,152	$30,789
Henry L. Sneed Middle	Public	6-8	1102 Ebenezer Road	Florence	29501	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 673-1199	634	52	12.1	71.0%	136 (21.5%)	400 (63.1%)	48 (7.6%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (7.1%)	34.8	224^th of 341 public middle schools	34.3%		32.8	215^th of 321 public middle schools	33.0%	9	51.3	55.3	39.6	37.2	29.6	30.5	44.7	$15,270	$726	$787	$1,512	$11,437	$2,321	$13,758
Darlington Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	150 Pinedale Drive	Darlington	29532	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 398-5088	888	58	15.3	79.2%	210 (23.6%)	538 (60.6%)	35 (3.9%)	2 (0.2%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	99 (11.1%)	39	208^th of 341 public middle schools	39.0%		35.9	202^nd of 321 public middle schools	37.1%	6	49.4	48.4	58.2	33.6	28.8	39.2	45.0	$14,560	$1,080	$843	$1,922	$10,985	$1,652	$12,637
John W. Moore Middle	Public	6-8	191 Westfield Drive	Florence	29501	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 664-8171	1,056	73	14.4	52.2%	414 (39.2%)	429 (40.6%)	89 (8.4%)	35 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	89 (8.4%)	55.7	139^th of 341 public middle schools	59.2%		60.3	108^th of 321 public middle schools	66.4%	31	61.3	53.5	58.3	41.3	35.6	51.1	52.7	$13,262	$337	$1,497	$1,834	$9,623	$1,805	$11,428
Hartsville Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1427 Fourteenth Street	Hartsville	29550	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	Yes	No	No	(843) 857-3121	801	61	13.1	69.3%	353 (44.1%)	306 (38.2%)	59 (7.4%)	8 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	75 (9.4%)	41.7	194^th of 341 public middle schools	43.1%		36.9	198^th of 321 public middle schools	38.3%	4	50.0	59.5	49.2	34.0	38.6	27.5	50.4	$15,864	$1,379	$680	$2,059	$12,063	$1,742	$13,805
Southside Middle	Public	6-8	209 W. Jones Paul Road	Florence	29505	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 664-8467	1,138	80	14.2	63.7%	365 (32.1%)	584 (51.3%)	72 (6.3%)	12 (1.1%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	101 (8.9%)	43.1	185^th of 341 public middle schools	45.7%		43.9	169^th of 321 public middle schools	47.4%	16	53.6	49.5	54.6	32.9	31.2	42.7	50.5	$12,209	$484	$888	$1,372	$8,946	$1,890	$10,837
Williams Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1100 North Irby Street	Florence	29501	Florence County	Florence 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 664-8162	792	68	11.6	77.7%	120 (15.2%)	532 (67.2%)	29 (3.7%)	37 (4.7%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	71 (9.0%)	31.4	235^th of 341 public middle schools	31.1%		33.9	210^th of 321 public middle schools	34.6%	25	47.6	47.3	37.0	32.2	35.7	30.8	43.6	$15,024	$687	$1,021	$1,708	$11,365	$1,951	$13,315

Frequently Asked Questions about Spaulding Middle

What high school do graduates of Spaulding Middle attend?

Students who attend Spaulding Middle usually go on to attend Lamar High

Is Spaulding Middle a good school?

Spaulding Middle ranks 186^th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Spaulding Middle?

Students at Spaulding Middle are 50% African American, 34% White, 10% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic.

How many students attend Spaulding Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 228 students attended Spaulding Middle.

What district is Spaulding Middle in?

Darlington 01

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresAug 10, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataNov 3, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Carolina Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.