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River Oaks Middle

Q: Is River Oaks Middle a good school?

River Oaks Middle ranks 236 th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

236^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 341 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 31% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

River Oaks Middle in North Charleston, SC, serves 728 students in grades 6 through 8 and is part of the Dorchester 02 school district. The school has a persistent record of low overall academic performance, ranking in the bottom third of South Carolina middle schools, but it also shows remarkable strength in advanced coursework that sets it apart from many nearby schools.

In terms of core subjects, River Oaks Middle significantly trails its district peers. For example, only about 19% of 6th graders are proficient in math, compared to a district average of roughly 43%. ELA proficiency rates are also well below district averages across all grade levels. This gap makes River Oaks the lowest-performing middle school within Dorchester 02, far behind schools like East Edisto Middle (ranked 48th in the state) and Gregg Middle (ranked 150th). When compared to schools in the neighboring Charleston 01 district, River Oaks performs better than Northwoods Middle and Morningside Middle, but lags behind C. E. Williams Middle School for Creative and Scientific Art and Hanahan Middle.

Despite these challenges, River Oaks has a notable bright spot: its Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam results are exceptional, with a 100% proficiency rate for three consecutive years, far exceeding district and state averages. The school also ranks in the top quarter of the state for its Gifted and Talented program. However, chronic absenteeism (27.5%) is higher than district and state averages, and the school struggles to serve English Language Learner and Disabled students effectively. Per-student spending has increased to over $12,000, comparable to higher-performing schools in the district, suggesting that funding alone isn't the issue. For parents, this is a school with strong advanced academics but significant gaps in general proficiency, particularly in math.

728

Students ?

13.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,176

Per pupil spending ?

73.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8642 River Oaks Drive
North Charleston, SC 29420

(843) 695-2470

District: Dorchester 02

Students who attend River Oaks Middle usually attend:

High:

Fort Dorchester High

Feeder schools for River Oaks Middle:

Elementary:	Eagle Nest Elementary
	Windsor Hill Arts Infused Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

42.2%

Hispanic:

24.3%

White:

21.7%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare River Oaks Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 24th percentile in 2023 → 31st in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 31st (2026) from a 24th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (38% vs 51% meeting standards)

!Science scores 18 pts below the South Carolina average

!Near the bottom of Dorchester 02's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg56%

South Carolina avg51%

236^th of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 31%▼ down 32 pts since 2016

From top 38% (2016) to bottom 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 7Middle Schools in the Dorchester 02

20^th of 75Dorchester 02 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	31.2	236 of 341	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.9	230 of 321	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.1	230 of 322	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.3	246 of 325	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.4	211 of 310	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.1	221 of 311	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.4	207 of 315	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.5	184 of 303	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	50.6	145 of 317	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	60.7	114 of 303	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	57.6	108 of 301	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	68.8	82 of 291	71.8%	★★★★☆
2013	70.5	65 of 276	76.4%	★★★★☆
2012	71.3	74 of 271	72.7%	★★★★☆
2011	67.4	92 of 269	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	61.2	114 of 261	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	60.8	107 of 249	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	60.7	111 of 244	54.5%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.7	180 of 258	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.6	166 of 251	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.4	180 of 246	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.5	187 of 253	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.4	150 of 249	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.2	173 of 235	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.8	131 of 252	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.4	101 of 237	57.4%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.2	133 of 192	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	21.8	160 of 184	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.3	131 of 177	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	157 of 187	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	45.1	92 of 183	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	26.9	133 of 164	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.9	92 of 195	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.5	104 of 194	46.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.7	92 of 113	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.2	69 of 110	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.3	84 of 104	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.6	72 of 95	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.4	76 of 97	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.6	52 of 87	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.4	76 of 117	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.2	59 of 93	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.4	222 of 310	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.2	230 of 295	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.5	226 of 293	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.7	228 of 299	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.2	194 of 290	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.4	202 of 279	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.1	203 of 296	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.6	186 of 281	33.8%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.7	61 of 197	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	67.3	60 of 173	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.5	115 of 184	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.8	109 of 185	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.7	119 of 182	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.2	117 of 179	34.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.5	109 of 159	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.6	115 of 156	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.8	113 of 144	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.8	112 of 141	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.6	118 of 129	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.6	94 of 111	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.5	114 of 139	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.3	83 of 123	32.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.1	204 of 325	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.7	204 of 308	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.4	214 of 304	29.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.0	243 of 313	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.8	212 of 300	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.8	210 of 288	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.8	193 of 289	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.9	164 of 280	41.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.7	210 of 310	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.5	194 of 298	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.3	189 of 292	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.0	223 of 303	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.6	206 of 292	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.6	201 of 279	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.2	187 of 296	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.5	162 of 284	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.8	35 of 65	46.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	33.0	44 of 63	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.9	24 of 52	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.3	42 of 58	27.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	70.7	9 of 44	79.5%	★★★★☆
2019	45.6	23 of 39	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.5	16 of 31	48.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.5	146 of 271	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.1	122 of 259	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.4	146 of 256	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.8	183 of 260	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	46.1	133 of 249	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.1	153 of 244	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.7	115 of 258	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.6	121 of 250	51.6%	★★★☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)69th percentile+38 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)46th percentile+15 vs school

White (2026)46th percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)37th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)32nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)31st percentile~ school

Disabled (2026)31st percentile~ school

African American (2026)30th percentile~ school

Female (2026)28th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)19th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts51%-7 vs state

Science34%-18 vs state

Mathematics28%-15 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

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3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a student
Thursday, December 15, 2022

Had a terrible time at this school during 2019 Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, May 20, 2011

GREAT SCHOOL, NEW FACILITIES, NICE LOCATION AND TALENTED TEACHERS Close Quote

Schools Near River Oaks 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)	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2026)	EOCEP Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 (2026)	EOCEP English 2 (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2024)	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	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	EOCEP Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 End of Course	EOCEP English 2 End of Course	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
River Oaks Middle	Public	6-8	8642 River Oaks Drive	North Charleston	29420	Dorchester County	Dorchester 02	No	No	No	No	(843) 695-2470	728	56	13.0	73.4%	158 (21.7%)	307 (42.2%)	177 (24.3%)	16 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	69 (9.5%)	31.2	236^th of 341 public middle schools	30.8%		29.9	230^th of 321 public middle schools	28.3%	6	40.9	55.0	57.6	18.8	30.3	34.5	34.1				$12,176	$723	$786	$1,509	$8,993	$1,673	$10,667
Oakbrook Middle	Public	6-8	286 Old Fort Road	Ladson	29456	Berkeley County	Dorchester 02	No	No	No	No	(843) 873-9750	861	61	14.1	60.6%	321 (37.3%)	318 (36.9%)	116 (13.5%)	25 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	79 (9.2%)	60.7	114^th of 341 public middle schools	66.6%		68.3	91^st of 321 public middle schools	71.7%	23	53.8	64.4	65.0	33.3	47.9	48.6	56.2				$12,395	$706	$777	$1,483	$9,348	$1,564	$10,911
Jerry Zucker Middle School of Science	Public, Magnet	6-8	6401 Dorchester Road	North Charleston	29418	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 767-8383	513	58	8.8	100.0%	31 (6.0%)	215 (41.9%)	247 (48.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.3%)	15.3	306^th of 341 public middle schools	10.3%		15.2	280^th of 321 public middle schools	12.8%	26	25.0	34.7	37.0	26.2	26.5	28.1	24.3				$21,951	$4,384	$1,544	$5,928	$12,628	$3,395	$16,023
Northwoods Middle	Public	6-8	7763 Northside Drive	North Charleston	29420	Dorchester County	Charleston 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 764-2212	708	49	14.4	100.0%	46 (6.5%)	280 (39.5%)	334 (47.2%)	5 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (0.8%)	35 (4.9%)	9	324^th of 341 public middle schools	5.0%		7.6	313^th of 321 public middle schools	2.5%	11	27.7	36.0	34.8	14.0	14.7	22.4	21.7				$21,784	$3,944	$3,380	$7,324	$10,426	$4,034	$14,461
Deer Park Middle	Public	6-8	2263 Otranto Road	North Charleston	29406	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 990-5200	315	27	11.8	100.0%	36 (11.4%)	149 (47.3%)	105 (33.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (7.3%)	24	260^th of 341 public middle schools	23.8%		15.7	275^th of 321 public middle schools	14.3%	15	39.1	41.5	56.0	23.8	21.7	30.3	33.4				$24,858	$4,043	$1,749	$5,792	$14,744	$4,322	$19,066
Hanahan Middle	Public	6-8	4200 Railroad Ave	Hanahan	29410	Berkeley County	Berkeley 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 820-3800	799	47	17.0	56.0%	394 (49.3%)	98 (12.3%)	189 (23.7%)	24 (3.0%)	10 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	84 (10.5%)	49.5	161^st of 341 public middle schools	52.8%		55.8	125^th of 321 public middle schools	61.1%	36	51.1	57.1	55.8	44.3	44.4	38.0	43.9				$12,716	$764	$845	$1,609	$9,363	$1,744	$11,108
East Edisto Middle	Public	6-8	1011 Beech Hill Road	Summerville	29485	Dorchester County	Dorchester 02	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(843) 695-2451	1,031	59	17.4	40.2%	675 (65.5%)	167 (16.2%)	91 (8.8%)	16 (1.6%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	79 (7.7%)	82.1	50^th of 341 public middle schools	85.3%		82.2	51^st of 321 public middle schools	84.1%	1	65.4	73.6	69.9	51.1	61.5	64.3	63.5				$10,878	$458	$757	$1,215	$8,552	$1,111	$9,663
C. E. Williams Middle School for Creative and Scientific Art	Public, Magnet	6-8	3090 Sanders Road	Charleston	29414	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 763-1529	1,299	95	13.7	58.8%	552 (42.5%)	478 (36.8%)	142 (10.9%)	31 (2.4%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.4%)	90 (6.9%)	49.1	162^nd of 341 public middle schools	52.5%		51.7	136^th of 321 public middle schools	57.6%	26	58.7	54.2	50.5	44.9	37.2	36.6	52.8				$29,210	$3,736	$1,839	$5,574	$18,192	$5,444	$23,636
Morningside Middle	Public	6-8	1999 Singley Lane	North Charleston	29405	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 745-2000	552	50	11.1	100.0%	24 (4.3%)	267 (48.4%)	242 (43.8%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	13 (2.4%)	5.1	337^th of 341 public middle schools	1.2%		6.9	315^th of 321 public middle schools	1.9%	22	21.6	28.4	25.4	12.2	9.5	15.2	19.5				$22,401	$5,771	$1,776	$7,548	$11,269	$3,584	$14,853
Rollings Middle School of the Arts	Public	6-8	815 South Main Street	Summerville	29483	Dorchester County	Dorchester 02	No	No	No	No	(843) 873-3610	797	49	16.2	28.8%	522 (65.5%)	131 (16.4%)	59 (7.4%)	23 (2.9%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	59 (7.4%)	98.1	7^th of 341 public middle schools	97.9%		98.8	4^th of 321 public middle schools	98.8%	3	86.6	89.1	87.5	78.2	86.2	88.3	82.2				$11,767	$510	$689	$1,199	$9,059	$1,509	$10,569

Frequently Asked Questions about River Oaks Middle

What high school do graduates of River Oaks Middle attend?

Students who attend River Oaks Middle usually go on to attend Fort Dorchester High

What is the racial makeup of River Oaks Middle?

Students at River Oaks Middle are 42% African American, 24% Hispanic, 22% White, 9% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend River Oaks Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 728 students attended River Oaks Middle.

What district is River Oaks Middle in?

Dorchester 02

Is River Oaks Middle a good school?

River Oaks Middle ranks 236^th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate River Oaks Middle!

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

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

2024–25 school spending dataNov 3, 2025

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 3, 2025

2024–25 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresSep 2, 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.