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Ware Shoals Elementary Middle

Q: Is Ware Shoals Elementary Middle a good school?

Ware Shoals Elementary Middle ranks 106 th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

106^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 341 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 69% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

Ware Shoals Elementary Middle is a small school in the rural town of Ware Shoals, SC, serving 238 students in grades 5-8 within the Greenwood 51 district.

This school is a standout success story, especially given that 100% of its students come from low-income families. It ranks in the 69th percentile statewide (3 stars) for the 2025-2026 school year, a remarkable climb of 76 positions over the past seven years. What truly sets it apart is its exceptional work with students from low socio-economic backgrounds, where it earns a 4-star rating (79th percentile) for three consecutive years—outperforming many schools with more affluent student bodies. The school also shines in English Language Arts, with 7th and 8th grade proficiency rates (64.8% and 65.8%) significantly exceeding state averages. Compared to nearby schools, it outperforms Brewer Middle (48th percentile) and Northside Middle (55th percentile) in Greenwood 50, as well as both Sanders Middle (5th percentile) and Laurens Middle (19th percentile) in Laurens 55, though it trails top performers like Ralph Chandler Middle (82nd percentile).

There are a few areas to watch. Mathematics remains a challenge, particularly in 5th grade (40% proficiency vs. 49.1% state average), though 6th and 7th grade math actually exceed state averages, suggesting effective interventions in the middle grades. There's also a growing gender gap, with female students ranking in the 75th percentile (4 stars) versus males in the 61st percentile (3 stars). On the positive side, chronic absenteeism is below state averages at 20.9%, a strong recovery from a pandemic-era spike. With a low student-teacher ratio of 13.6:1 and spending of $13,955 per student—less than many schools with worse outcomes—this school is clearly punching above its weight and making efficient use of its resources.

238

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,863

Per pupil spending ?

71.5%

Directly certified for free meals (2023-24) ?

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

45 West Main Street
Ware Shoals, SC 29692

(864) 456-2711

District: Greenwood 51

Students who attend Ware Shoals Elementary Middle usually attend:

High:

Ware Shoals High

Feeder schools for Ware Shoals Elementary Middle:

Elementary:

Ware Shoals Primary

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.7%

African American:

14.3%

Hispanic:

9.7%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare Ware Shoals Elementary Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 38th percentile in 2018 → 69th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 69th (2026) from a 38th-percentile low (2018)

✓Above the South Carolina median (69th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school53%

District avg53%

South Carolina avg52%

106^th of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 31%▲ up 7 pts since 2017

From top 38% (2017) to top 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

40^th of 75Greenwood 51 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	63.5	106 of 341	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.1	117 of 321	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.7	116 of 322	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.7	146 of 325	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.7	141 of 310	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.6	152 of 311	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.8	179 of 315	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.7	189 of 303	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	57.6	121 of 317	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	88.1	26 of 291	91.1%	★★★★★
2013	87.7	22 of 276	92.0%	★★★★★
2012	86.0	23 of 271	91.5%	★★★★★
2011	85.5	23 of 269	91.4%	★★★★★
2010	61.4	113 of 261	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	69.9	79 of 249	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	58.2	119 of 244	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	31.4	183 of 236	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	61.5	98 of 231	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2005	77.2	51 of 230	77.8%	★★★★☆
2004	84.6	24 of 230	89.6%	★★★★☆
2003	52.5	114 of 225	49.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.2	79 of 310	74.5%	★★★★☆
2025	67.6	79 of 295	73.2%	★★★★☆
2024	60.9	103 of 293	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.4	76 of 299	74.6%	★★★★☆
2022	55.4	114 of 290	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.2	159 of 279	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.4	188 of 296	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.2	190 of 281	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	72.5	71 of 325	78.2%	★★★★☆
2025	68.4	73 of 308	76.3%	★★★★☆
2024	71.5	63 of 304	79.3%	★★★★☆
2023	61.9	93 of 313	70.3%	★★★★☆
2022	64.6	80 of 300	73.3%	★★★★☆
2021	57.4	106 of 288	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.2	147 of 289	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.6	135 of 280	51.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.6	123 of 310	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.7	147 of 298	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.8	118 of 292	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	33.5	197 of 303	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.3	150 of 292	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.6	125 of 279	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.8	151 of 296	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.9	168 of 284	40.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.6	191 of 271	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.8	197 of 259	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.3	169 of 256	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.0	195 of 260	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.6	185 of 249	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.4	174 of 244	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.3	202 of 258	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.5	204 of 250	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)78th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)75th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)60th percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)30th percentile-39 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts62%+3 vs state

Science56%+4 vs state

Mathematics43%~ state avg

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Schools Near Ware Shoals Elementary 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 5th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 6th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 8th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th 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
Ware Shoals Elementary Middle	Public	5-8	45 West Main Street	Ware Shoals	29692	Greenwood County	Greenwood 51	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 456-2711	238	18	13.6	71.5%	166 (69.7%)	34 (14.3%)	23 (9.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.3%)	63.5	106^th of 341 public middle schools	68.9%		57.1	117^th of 321 public middle schools	63.6%	11	60.0	58.2	64.8	65.8	40.0	43.6	46.3	42.4	56.4	$15,863	$793	$261	$1,053	$12,247	$2,562	$14,810
Honea Path Middle	Public	6-8	107 Brock Avenue	Honea Path	29654	Anderson County	Anderson 02	No	No	No	No	(864) 369-7641	278	24	11.5	59.1%	224 (80.6%)	28 (10.1%)	6 (2.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.8%)	73.5	78^th of 341 public middle schools	77.1%		83.4	47^th of 321 public middle schools	85.4%	31		59.2	70.5	68.2		51.0	61.4	44.8	61.3	$17,944	$1,509	$588	$2,097	$13,559	$2,288	$15,847
Northside Middle	Public	6-8	431 Deadfall Road West	Greenwood	29649	Greenwood County	Greenwood 50	No	No	No	No	(864) 941-5780	593	48	12.4	65.6%	198 (33.4%)	264 (44.5%)	88 (14.8%)	8 (1.3%)	5 (0.8%)	6 (1.0%)	24 (4.0%)	50.9	155^th of 341 public middle schools	54.5%		40.3	188^th of 321 public middle schools	41.4%	33		55.6	63.5	45.1		53.7	46.6	30.8	45.4	$15,362	$1,307	$644	$1,951	$11,564	$1,847	$13,411
Laurens Middle	Public	6-8	1035 West Main Street	Laurens	29360	Laurens County	Laurens 55	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 984-2400	373	33	11.3	70.6%	151 (40.5%)	124 (33.2%)	87 (23.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.7%)	21.5	274^th of 341 public middle schools	19.6%		20.9	260^th of 321 public middle schools	19.0%	14		42.1	44.1	47.8		21.1	26.9	29.1	23.6	$15,817	$1,210	$452	$1,662	$11,003	$3,152	$14,155
Brewer Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1000 Emerald Road	Greenwood	29646	Greenwood County	Greenwood 50	No	Yes	No	No	(864) 941-5500	600	52	11.4	73.2%	156 (26.0%)	312 (52.0%)	102 (17.0%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	21 (3.5%)	45.2	177^th of 341 public middle schools	48.1%		27.9	238^th of 321 public middle schools	25.9%	61		43.3	57.4	59.6		39.7	38.7	49.4	32.5	$14,780	$949	$693	$1,642	$11,727	$1,411	$13,138
Sanders Middle	Public	6-8	609 Green Street	Laurens	29360	Laurens County	Laurens 55	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 984-0354	250	30	8.3	73.7%	85 (34.0%)	114 (45.6%)	40 (16.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	10 (4.0%)	9.7	322^nd of 341 public middle schools	5.6%		16.4	273^rd of 321 public middle schools	15.0%	49		30.7	30.8	34.5		14.5	12.8	18.5	33.9	$20,438	$1,454	$706	$2,160	$15,034	$3,245	$18,278
Wright Middle	Public	6-8	111 Highway 71	Abbeville	29620	Abbeville County	Abbeville 60	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 366-5998	323	31	10.4	67.2%	151 (46.7%)	154 (47.7%)	12 (3.7%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	54.4	142^nd of 341 public middle schools	58.4%		60.1	109^th of 321 public middle schools	66.0%	33		48.4	66.4	58.1		33.7	48.7	50.6	41.1	$12,524	$673	$334	$1,008	$11,083	$433	$11,516
Belton Middle	Public	6-8	102 Cherokee Road	Belton	29627	Anderson County	Anderson 02	No	No	No	No	(864) 338-6595	455	35	13.1	62.2%	302 (66.4%)	76 (16.7%)	35 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (9.2%)	70.6	86^th of 341 public middle schools	74.8%		61.4	105^th of 321 public middle schools	67.3%	19		68.9	61.6	64.3		60.7	43.0	47.0	62.1	$14,257	$1,098	$506	$1,604	$10,789	$1,863	$12,652
Ralph Chandler Middle	Public	6-8	4231 Fork Shoals Road	Simpsonville	29680	Greenville County	Greenville 01	No	No	No	No	(864) 452-0300	763	46	16.7	40.8%	568 (74.4%)	80 (10.5%)	71 (9.3%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (4.8%)	78.3	62^nd of 341 public middle schools	81.8%		73.2	75^th of 321 public middle schools	76.6%	13		69.8	63.3	76.7		49.8	49.2	61.8	63.8	$12,491	$670	$576	$1,246	$10,257	$988	$11,245
Westview Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1410 West Alexander Road	Greenwood	29646	Greenwood County	Greenwood 50	No	Yes	No	No	(864) 229-4301	692	46	15.1	63.5%	289 (41.8%)	250 (36.1%)	113 (16.3%)	8 (1.2%)	5 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	25 (3.6%)	70.5	87^th of 341 public middle schools	74.5%		68.3	90^th of 321 public middle schools	72.0%	3		68.3	66.4	60.8		55.9	45.4	43.8	64.9	$13,269	$1,004	$612	$1,616	$10,323	$1,331	$11,653

Frequently Asked Questions about Ware Shoals Elementary Middle

How many students attend Ware Shoals Elementary Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 238 students attended Ware Shoals Elementary Middle.

Is Ware Shoals Elementary Middle a good school?

Ware Shoals Elementary Middle ranks 106^th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Ware Shoals Elementary Middle?

Students at Ware Shoals Elementary Middle are 70% White, 14% African American, 10% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

What district is Ware Shoals Elementary Middle in?

Greenwood 51

What high school do graduates of Ware Shoals Elementary Middle attend?

Students who attend Ware Shoals Elementary Middle usually go on to attend Ware Shoals High

Rate Ware Shoals Elementary Middle!

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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.