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Black Water Middle

Q: Is Black Water Middle a good school?

Black Water Middle ranks 145 th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

145^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 341 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 57% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

Black Water Middle in Conway, SC, serves 789 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Horry 01 school district, a top-ranked district in the state. The school has held a steady 3-star rating for the past decade, currently ranking in the 58th percentile statewide—placing it in the middle of the pack among nearby middle schools.

Where Black Water truly shines is with specific student groups. The school ranks in the 82nd percentile for African American students—a 4-star rating that puts it well above its overall performance and represents a dramatic improvement in recent years. It also consistently earns 4-star ratings for economically disadvantaged students, ranking in the 71st-82nd percentile over the past three years. Perhaps most impressive: the school has achieved 100% proficiency on the Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam for three straight years, far exceeding the district average of 90% and state average of 74%. This suggests students who reach advanced math are exceptionally well-prepared. English Language Arts scores have also shown steady improvement across all grade levels, now roughly matching state averages.

However, there are challenges worth noting. Standard math proficiency lags district averages by 5-10 percentage points, and science proficiency trails by about 10 points. Chronic absenteeism is a significant concern—25.5% of students were chronically absent in 2024-2025, compared to 19.4% district-wide and 22.3% statewide. This rate is notably higher than higher-performing neighbors like Ocean Bay Middle (14.8%) and Ten Oaks Middle (17.1%), though similar to other Conway-area schools. The school also spends slightly more per student ($13,311) than several higher-ranked peers, suggesting resources alone don't explain performance differences. For parents, this is a school with clear strengths in serving diverse learners and advanced math, but one where attendance and standard math support may need extra attention at home.

789

Students ?

15.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,311

Per pupil spending ?

65.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

900 East Cox Ferry Road
Conway, SC 29526

(843) 903-8440

District: Horry 01

Students who attend Black Water Middle usually attend:

High:

Carolina Forest High

Feeder schools for Black Water Middle:

Elementary:	Palmetto Bays Elementary
	Waccamaw Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

42.8%

Hispanic:

28.5%

African American:

19.5%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare Black Water Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 73rd percentile in 2016 → 57th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the South Carolina median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2016

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

!Near the bottom of Horry 01's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school49%

District avg56%

South Carolina avg51%

145^th of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 43%▼ down 16 pts since 2016

From top 27% (2016) to top 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 12Middle Schools in the Horry 01

9^th of 75Horry 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	53.6	145 of 341	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.2	148 of 321	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.6	117 of 322	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.6	124 of 325	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.4	133 of 310	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.2	125 of 311	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.3	120 of 315	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.4	115 of 303	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	60.3	112 of 317	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	67.6	81 of 303	73.3%	★★★★☆
2015	58.1	104 of 301	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	53.4	137 of 291	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	56.2	129 of 276	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	58.9	125 of 271	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	55.7	137 of 269	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	54.8	138 of 261	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	54.8	127 of 249	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	67.0	88 of 244	63.9%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.5	46 of 258	82.2%	★★★★☆
2025	55.0	95 of 251	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.2	99 of 246	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.5	63 of 253	75.1%	★★★★☆
2022	60.1	66 of 249	73.5%	★★★★☆
2021	53.5	86 of 235	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.9	138 of 252	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.6	83 of 237	65.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.7	83 of 192	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.5	94 of 184	48.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.2	80 of 177	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.1	119 of 187	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.3	103 of 183	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.7	74 of 164	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.5	56 of 195	71.3%	★★★★☆
2018	51.3	81 of 194	58.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.5	66 of 113	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.8	60 of 110	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.8	32 of 104	69.2%	★★★★☆
2023	65.8	24 of 95	74.7%	★★★★☆
2022	60.0	31 of 97	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.9	34 of 87	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.2	70 of 117	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.1	51 of 93	45.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.9	165 of 310	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.9	136 of 295	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.5	119 of 293	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.2	124 of 299	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.7	136 of 290	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.8	121 of 279	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.3	136 of 296	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.4	132 of 281	53.0%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.5	92 of 197	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.1	112 of 173	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.6	150 of 184	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	55.2	108 of 185	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.0	125 of 182	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.9	101 of 179	43.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.3	87 of 159	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.4	82 of 156	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	65.8	41 of 144	71.5%	★★★★☆
2023	58.9	47 of 141	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.9	56 of 129	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.4	49 of 111	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.8	57 of 139	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.4	70 of 123	43.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.6	95 of 325	70.8%	★★★★☆
2025	64.0	85 of 308	72.4%	★★★★☆
2024	75.1	52 of 304	82.9%	★★★★☆
2023	71.4	72 of 313	77.0%	★★★★☆
2022	70.1	69 of 300	77.0%	★★★★☆
2021	76.7	49 of 288	83.0%	★★★★☆
2019	70.4	64 of 289	77.9%	★★★★☆
2018	69.4	63 of 280	77.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.6	116 of 310	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.2	151 of 298	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.9	106 of 292	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.8	110 of 303	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.8	116 of 292	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.0	107 of 279	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.4	101 of 296	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.9	100 of 284	64.8%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	47.0	25 of 52	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.5	24 of 58	58.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.2	123 of 271	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.8	137 of 259	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.8	122 of 256	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.1	146 of 260	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.5	138 of 249	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.8	103 of 244	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.3	137 of 258	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.5	130 of 250	48.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)82nd percentile+25 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)71st percentile+13 vs school

Male (2026)63rd percentile+5 vs school

Disabled (2026)57th percentile~ school

White (2026)55th percentile-3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)53rd percentile-4 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)52nd percentile-12 vs school

Female (2026)47th percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)45th percentile-12 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)42nd percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts59%~ state avg

Science50%~ state avg

Mathematics40%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Black Water 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)	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 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	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 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
Black Water Middle	Public	6-8	900 East Cox Ferry Road	Conway	29526	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 903-8440	789	51	15.4	65.1%	338 (42.8%)	154 (19.5%)	225 (28.5%)	10 (1.3%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (7.2%)	53.6	145^th of 341 public middle schools	57.5%		49.2	148^th of 321 public middle schools	53.9%	3		58.0	61.1	57.4		38.6	41.8	39.4	49.7		$13,311	$1,222	$578	$1,800	$10,079	$1,433	$11,512
Conway Middle	Public	6-8	1104 Elm Street	Conway	29526	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 488-6040	578	41	14.0	52.2%	351 (60.7%)	119 (20.6%)	67 (11.6%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.9%)	59.1	120^th of 341 public middle schools	64.8%		60.6	107^th of 321 public middle schools	66.7%	13		63.0	62.1	60.5		41.0	41.5	42.5	53.0		$13,551	$1,072	$559	$1,631	$10,107	$1,814	$11,920
Whittemore Park Middle	Public	6-8	1808 Rhue Street	Conway	29527	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 488-0669	1,013	70	14.4	100.0%	477 (47.1%)	277 (27.3%)	184 (18.2%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	67 (6.6%)	50.8	156^th of 341 public middle schools	54.3%		46.6	155^th of 321 public middle schools	51.7%	1		56.8	58.5	62.6		33.3	30.4	41.8	53.4		$13,712	$1,451	$703	$2,154	$10,102	$1,455	$11,558
Ten Oaks Middle	Public	6-8	150 Revolutionary War Way	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 488-8896	1,264	80	15.8	44.7%	737 (58.3%)	137 (10.8%)	235 (18.6%)	46 (3.6%)	6 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	103 (8.1%)	83.9	45^th of 341 public middle schools	86.8%		85.3	41^st of 321 public middle schools	87.2%	4		71.0	76.9	70.8		55.9	56.2	58.6	67.7		$12,138	$716	$456	$1,171	$9,853	$1,113	$10,966
Forestbrook Middle	Public	6-8	4430 Gator Lane	Myrtle Beach	29588	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 236-7300	816	53	15.5	52.6%	436 (53.4%)	76 (9.3%)	252 (30.9%)	8 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	40 (4.9%)	67.4	94^th of 341 public middle schools	72.4%		57	119^th of 321 public middle schools	62.9%	25		64.4	65.2	62.4		46.9	46.2	48.8	56.6		$13,107	$1,009	$426	$1,435	$10,446	$1,225	$11,671
Ocean Bay Middle	Public	6-8	905 International Drive	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 903-8420	801	49	16.5	31.5%	558 (69.7%)	70 (8.7%)	108 (13.5%)	18 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (5.9%)	89.2	32^nd of 341 public middle schools	90.6%		92.5	21^st of 321 public middle schools	93.5%	11		70.2	76.7	78.4		57.2	67.8	71.2	68.4		$12,815	$816	$486	$1,302	$10,186	$1,327	$11,513
Myrtle Beach Middle	Public	6-8	3101 North Oak Street	Myrtle Beach	29577	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 448-3932	1,146	71	16.2	100.0%	383 (33.4%)	259 (22.6%)	391 (34.1%)	16 (1.4%)	6 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	89 (7.8%)	44.5	182^nd of 341 public middle schools	46.6%		39.9	189^th of 321 public middle schools	41.1%	7		54.0	58.0	48.0		34.5	37.5	37.9	49.2		$12,371	$1,069	$512	$1,581	$9,328	$1,462	$10,790
Socastee Middle	Public	6-8	151 Sheffield Road	Myrtle Beach	29588	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 903-6051	527	37	14.2	42.6%	351 (66.6%)	38 (7.2%)	74 (14.0%)	13 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	48 (9.1%)	82.7	47^th of 341 public middle schools	86.2%		87.6	35^th of 321 public middle schools	89.1%	12		67.6	71.8	72.8		54.6	61.1	64.2	61.0		$13,839	$648	$430	$1,078	$11,385	$1,375	$12,760
St. James Intermediate	Public	5-6	9641 Scipio Lane	Myrtle Beach	29588	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 903-6005	883	53	16.6	45.1%	637 (72.1%)	57 (6.5%)	104 (11.8%)	27 (3.1%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	54 (6.1%)								(n/a)	73.0	73.8			59.2	60.3			77.1		$12,627	$945	$476	$1,421	$10,035	$1,171	$11,205
St. James Middle	Public	7-8	9775 St. James Road	Myrtle Beach	29588	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 650-5543	913	58	15.7	44.3%	654 (71.6%)	56 (6.1%)	122 (13.4%)	13 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	66 (7.2%)	76.6	70^th of 341 public middle schools	79.5%		73.6	73^rd of 321 public middle schools	77.3%	3			73.0	72.2			50.0	48.5			$12,683	$685	$391	$1,075	$10,334	$1,274	$11,608

Frequently Asked Questions about Black Water Middle

What district is Black Water Middle in?

Horry 01

How many students attend Black Water Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 789 students attended Black Water Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Black Water Middle?

Students at Black Water Middle are 43% White, 29% Hispanic, 20% African American, 7% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Black Water Middle attend?

Students who attend Black Water Middle usually go on to attend Carolina Forest High

Is Black Water Middle a good school?

Black Water Middle ranks 145^th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Black Water 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.