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Leslie M. Stover Middle

Q: Is Leslie M. Stover Middle a good school?

Leslie M. Stover Middle ranks 180 th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

180^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 341 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 47% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

Leslie M. Stover Middle in Elgin, SC, serves 662 students in grades 6 through 8 within the Kershaw 01 school district, a mid-tier district ranked 27th out of 75 in South Carolina.

Stover Middle is a school of striking contrasts. Its most impressive achievement is in advanced mathematics: for three consecutive years, 95-100% of students taking the Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End-of-Course exam scored proficient, dramatically outpacing the district (64.63%) and state (73.95%) averages. This even rivals top-performing schools like Lugoff-Elgin Middle (99.99%) and Crayton Middle (98.81%). However, this excellence doesn't extend to standard grade-level math. In the 2025-2026 school year, proficiency rates for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math were just 36.8%, 27.2%, and 35.2% respectively—all below district and state averages. For example, 7th-grade math proficiency (27.2%) trails the state average (41.8%) by nearly 15 points. This "math paradox" suggests that the school's most effective teaching may be concentrated in the advanced track, leaving a gap for students in the standard curriculum.

Compared to Lugoff-Elgin Middle, just 5.6 miles away in the same district, Stover lags in nearly every subject and grade level—for instance, 8th-grade math proficiency is 35.2% versus Lugoff-Elgin's 59.5%. The school also spends less per student ($12,121) than Lugoff-Elgin ($14,199) and Crayton Middle ($17,291). On a positive note, chronic absenteeism has improved significantly, dropping from 31.9% in 2022-2023 to 20.0% in 2024-2025, now below the state average of 22.3%. With 63.15% of students receiving free or reduced lunch, Stover serves a high-need population while achieving mid-tier results—a solid foundation that could be elevated by scaling its advanced math success to all students and learning from its higher-performing neighbor.

662

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,121

Per pupil spending ?

63.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1649 Smyrna Road
Elgin, SC 29045

(803) 438-7414

District: Kershaw 01

Students who attend Leslie M. Stover Middle usually attend:

High:

Lugoff-Elgin High

Feeder schools for Leslie M. Stover Middle:

Elementary:	Blaney Elementary
	Doby's Mill Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

48.2%

African American:

25.4%

Hispanic:

15.9%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare Leslie M. Stover Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 64th percentile in 2016 → 47th in 2026

Worth a look

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

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg49%

South Carolina avg51%

180^th of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 47%▼ down 16 pts since 2016

From top 36% (2016) to bottom 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Middle Schools in the Kershaw 01

27^th of 75Kershaw 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	44.6	180 of 341	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.7	177 of 321	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.5	167 of 322	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.4	163 of 325	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.7	155 of 310	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.2	135 of 311	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.8	108 of 315	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.1	134 of 303	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	48.0	155 of 317	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	61.5	110 of 303	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	62.1	92 of 301	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	64.3	101 of 291	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	66.7	85 of 276	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	69.7	84 of 271	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	70.6	80 of 269	70.3%	★★★★☆
2010	69.6	75 of 261	71.3%	★★★★☆
2009	61.7	103 of 249	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	68.8	78 of 244	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	72.6	62 of 236	73.7%	★★★★☆
2006	76.1	58 of 231	74.9%	★★★★☆
2005	81.0	37 of 230	83.9%	★★★★☆
2004	66.3	89 of 230	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2003	55.4	104 of 225	53.8%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	60.5	73 of 258	71.7%	★★★★☆
2025	50.4	114 of 251	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.2	93 of 246	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.8	49 of 253	80.6%	★★★★☆
2022	58.2	77 of 249	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.7	49 of 235	79.1%	★★★★☆
2019	76.0	29 of 252	88.5%	★★★★☆
2018	61.5	63 of 237	73.4%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.2	90 of 192	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.6	87 of 184	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.4	129 of 177	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.5	96 of 187	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.9	82 of 183	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.2	40 of 164	75.6%	★★★★☆
2019	55.3	65 of 195	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.8	124 of 194	36.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	19.0	109 of 117	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.5	157 of 310	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.0	168 of 295	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.1	136 of 293	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.7	153 of 299	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.6	155 of 290	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.1	133 of 279	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.3	97 of 296	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.7	115 of 281	59.1%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.1	145 of 197	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.6	146 of 173	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	48.3	122 of 184	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.0	119 of 185	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.0	127 of 182	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.1	131 of 179	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	43.1	90 of 159	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.4	84 of 156	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.7	60 of 144	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.1	90 of 141	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.4	45 of 129	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.7	40 of 111	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.0	109 of 139	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	43.5	69 of 123	43.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.0	157 of 325	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.8	154 of 308	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.8	170 of 304	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.9	168 of 313	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.1	160 of 300	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.6	123 of 288	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.8	66 of 289	77.2%	★★★★☆
2018	50.6	124 of 280	55.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.2	180 of 310	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.9	178 of 298	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.7	174 of 292	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.9	156 of 303	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.1	141 of 292	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.0	116 of 279	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.2	109 of 296	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.2	142 of 284	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	33.2	10 of 13	23.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.5	6 of 13	53.8%	★★★★☆
2023	37.2	7 of 12	41.7%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	34.9	42 of 63	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.1	42 of 52	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.5	41 of 58	29.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.9	29 of 44	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.6	212 of 271	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.7	189 of 259	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.4	191 of 256	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.2	191 of 260	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.3	182 of 249	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.6	146 of 244	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.0	148 of 258	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.5	159 of 250	36.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)72nd percentile+24 vs school

Disabled (2026)53rd percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)52nd percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)49th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)43rd percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)42nd percentile-5 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)33rd percentile-12 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)26th percentile-21 vs school

Military Connected (2025)23rd percentile-22 vs school

White (2026)22nd percentile-25 vs school

English Language Learner (2019)7th percentile-59 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts55%-3 vs state

Science54%~ state avg

Mathematics33%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Leslie M. Stover 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 3rd Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 4th Grade	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 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 7th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 8th Grade	SC READY Science 4th 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
Leslie M. Stover Middle	Public	6-8	1649 Smyrna Road	Elgin	29045	Kershaw County	Kershaw 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 438-7414	662	44	15.0	63.2%	319 (48.2%)	168 (25.4%)	105 (15.9%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	65 (9.8%)	44.6	180^th of 341 public middle schools	47.2%		41.7	177^th of 321 public middle schools	44.9%	3				55.5	52.1	57.0				36.8	27.2	35.2		54.0		$12,121	$796	$765	$1,560	$9,020	$1,541	$10,560
Lugoff-Elgin Middle	Public	6-8	1244 Highway 1 South	Lugoff	29078	Kershaw County	Kershaw 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 438-3591	649	46	14.1	58.7%	412 (63.5%)	122 (18.8%)	45 (6.9%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (10.2%)	72.2	82^nd of 341 public middle schools	76.0%		66.7	93^rd of 321 public middle schools	71.0%	11				61.8	64.6	71.1				50.3	47.2	59.5		54.0		$14,199	$702	$839	$1,541	$10,836	$1,822	$12,658
Kelly Mill Middle	Public, Magnet	2-8	1141 Kelly Mill Road	Blythewood	29016	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 691-7210	979	72	13.6	48.8%	127 (13.0%)	668 (68.2%)	92 (9.4%)	21 (2.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	69 (7.0%)	39.5	206^th of 341 public middle schools	39.6%		32.3	220^th of 321 public middle schools	31.5%	14		69.5	76.0	54.9	58.7	48.0		69.5	56.0	29.9	33.8	22.7	56.5	52.8		$14,337	$1,468	$850	$2,318	$9,724	$2,296	$12,020
Blythewood Middle	Public	6-8	2351 Longtown Road East	Blythewood	29016	Richland County	Richland 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 691-6850	872	54	16.2	36.1%	215 (24.7%)	476 (54.6%)	97 (11.1%)	19 (2.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	62 (7.1%)	77.6	64^th of 341 public middle schools	81.2%		74.6	70^th of 321 public middle schools	78.2%	6				73.7	63.8	73.7				44.9	46.5	60.4		67.6		$12,833	$886	$549	$1,435	$9,377	$2,020	$11,398
Longleaf Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1160 Longreen Parkway	Columbia	29229	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 691-4870	796	56	14.2	57.1%	64 (8.0%)	609 (76.5%)	73 (9.2%)	9 (1.1%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (4.6%)	36.6	219^th of 341 public middle schools	35.8%		32.9	214^th of 321 public middle schools	33.3%	5				49.2	51.9	61.7				26.2	25.7	38.4		40.1		$14,283	$905	$669	$1,575	$10,730	$1,978	$12,709
Dent Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	2721 Decker Boulevard	Columbia	29206	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 699-2750	1,059	83	12.7	100.0%	185 (17.5%)	566 (53.4%)	186 (17.6%)	67 (6.3%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (4.4%)	42.1	190^th of 341 public middle schools	44.3%		40.7	185^th of 321 public middle schools	42.4%	5				50.2	54.5	55.8				30.9	40.6	35.5		43.0		$15,232	$1,039	$661	$1,699	$11,035	$2,497	$13,532
Camden Middle	Public	6-8	902 McRae Road	Camden	29020	Kershaw County	Kershaw 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 425-8975	844	58	14.6	100.0%	365 (43.2%)	299 (35.4%)	115 (13.6%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	61 (7.2%)	47.4	167^th of 341 public middle schools	51.0%		44.2	168^th of 321 public middle schools	47.7%	1				51.5	54.0	57.3				35.3	38.7	35.8		55.2		$11,679	$818	$767	$1,585	$8,514	$1,581	$10,094
W. G. Sanders Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	3455 Pine Belt Road	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 735-7575	503	54	9.3	100.0%	59 (11.7%)	376 (74.8%)	46 (9.1%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.8%)	22.5	266^th of 341 public middle schools	22.0%		31.9	222^nd of 321 public middle schools	30.8%	44				43.6	50.3	36.0				24.5	28.6	26.0		31.4		$20,208	$1,375	$1,201	$2,576	$14,996	$2,637	$17,633
Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy	Public, Charter	2-8	6015 N Main Street	Columbia	29224	Richland County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	No	(803) 900-0664	216	23	9.3	34.3%	106 (49.1%)	89 (41.2%)	9 (4.2%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.6%)	1.4	341^st of 341 public middle schools	0.0%		8.5	311^th of 321 public middle schools	3.1%	30	6.3	22.6	19.6	14.3	15.4		9.7	0.0	4.3	0.0	0.0		0.0	8.6		$16,348	$1,802	$163	$1,965	$11,174	$3,208	$14,383
Crayton Middle	Public	6-8	5000 Clemson Avenue	Columbia	29206	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 738-7224	952	68	14.0	100.0%	469 (49.3%)	330 (34.7%)	70 (7.4%)	17 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	64 (6.7%)	82.2	49^th of 341 public middle schools	85.6%		82.3	50^th of 321 public middle schools	84.4%	1				69.1	76.1	66.1				56.0	60.7	57.2		65.0		$17,291	$1,415	$1,114	$2,529	$12,672	$2,090	$14,761

Frequently Asked Questions about Leslie M. Stover Middle

What district is Leslie M. Stover Middle in?

Kershaw 01

What is the racial makeup of Leslie M. Stover Middle?

Students at Leslie M. Stover Middle are 48% White, 25% African American, 16% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Leslie M. Stover Middle attend?

Students who attend Leslie M. Stover Middle usually go on to attend Lugoff-Elgin High

Is Leslie M. Stover Middle a good school?

Leslie M. Stover Middle ranks 180^th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Leslie M. Stover Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 662 students attended Leslie M. Stover Middle.

Rate Leslie M. Stover 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.