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North Central Middle

Q: Is North Central Middle a good school?

North Central Middle ranks 213 th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

213^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 341 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 38% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

North Central Middle serves 408 students in grades 6-8 in Kershaw, South Carolina, as part of the Kershaw 01 school district, making it the smallest middle school in the district. The school has seen its overall state ranking decline over the past five years, dropping from the 66th percentile to the 37th percentile, which places it in the bottom half of South Carolina middle schools.

The most pressing challenge facing the school is chronic absenteeism. In 2024-2025, 32.2% of students were chronically absent, compared to 21.0% for the district and 22.3% statewide. This means nearly one in three students is missing significant instructional time, which likely contributes to the school's academic struggles. In 8th grade math, only 23.5% of students are proficient versus 44.2% statewide, and the gap is similar in 7th grade. When compared to Lugoff-Elgin Middle, the district's highest-performing school, the difference is stark: 59.5% of Lugoff-Elgin's 8th graders are proficient in math versus 23.5% at North Central. Even Camden Middle, which has a similar overall ranking, outperforms North Central in most subjects.

Despite these challenges, the school has notable strengths. Its Algebra 1 End-of-Course Exam scores are extraordinary, with 99.99% proficiency in 2024-2025 compared to the district average of 64.63%. The school also spends $14,061 per student, the highest among comparable schools, and its 6th grade science scores essentially match the state average. However, the school has seen dramatic declines in outcomes for specific student groups, including a drop from the 58th to the 0th percentile for African American students over three years, and a fall from the 78th to the 28th percentile for disabled students. The school's gifted program has also declined from the 57th to the 19th percentile. Addressing the absenteeism crisis and investigating these subgroup declines should be top priorities for the school.

408

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,061

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

805 Keys Lane
Kershaw, SC 29067

(803) 424-2740

District: Kershaw 01

Students who attend North Central Middle usually attend:

High:

North Central High

Feeder schools for North Central Middle:

Elementary:

Midway Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.6%

African American:

12.0%

Hispanic:

11.0%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare North Central Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 53rd percentile in 2016 → 38th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (42% vs 51% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 22% South Carolina)

!Ranking has slipped — down 15 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school42%

District avg49%

South Carolina avg51%

213^th of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 38%▼ down 15 pts since 2016

From top 47% (2016) to bottom 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th 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	38.5	213 of 341	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.4	190 of 321	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.6	173 of 322	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.3	158 of 325	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.8	129 of 310	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.8	105 of 311	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.7	163 of 315	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.8	124 of 303	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	55.3	130 of 317	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	51.9	143 of 303	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	42.7	171 of 301	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	50.9	152 of 291	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	58.3	118 of 276	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.3	102 of 271	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	67.2	93 of 269	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	59.2	122 of 261	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	55.2	125 of 249	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	66.8	89 of 244	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	56.9	118 of 236	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	52.5	118 of 231	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2005	33.1	169 of 230	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	30.7	173 of 230	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	26.4	183 of 225	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	10.1	256 of 258	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	30.9	184 of 246	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	52.0	107 of 253	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.7	101 of 249	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.9	72 of 235	69.4%	★★★★☆
2019	47.3	122 of 252	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.8	27 of 237	88.6%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	33.3	136 of 192	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	53.6	72 of 184	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.2	40 of 177	77.4%	★★★★☆
2023	23.4	160 of 187	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	68.7	23 of 164	86.0%	★★★★☆
2019	48.1	85 of 195	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.7	62 of 194	68.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.0	193 of 310	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.2	200 of 295	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.8	181 of 293	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.2	147 of 299	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.2	134 of 290	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.3	118 of 279	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.9	164 of 296	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.5	131 of 281	53.4%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	35.9	140 of 173	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.2	139 of 185	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	62.1	78 of 182	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.7	57 of 179	68.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.0	207 of 325	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.6	198 of 308	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.1	120 of 304	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.2	112 of 313	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.9	82 of 300	72.7%	★★★★☆
2021	75.1	55 of 288	80.9%	★★★★☆
2019	56.7	103 of 289	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.5	92 of 280	67.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.8	187 of 310	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.7	165 of 298	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.9	145 of 292	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.8	144 of 303	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.8	110 of 292	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.1	71 of 279	74.6%	★★★★☆
2019	45.7	152 of 296	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.1	114 of 284	59.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.3	215 of 271	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.1	214 of 259	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.7	196 of 256	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.9	182 of 260	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.3	152 of 249	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.3	113 of 244	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	26.3	198 of 258	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.9	164 of 250	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)40th percentile~ school

Female (2026)38th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)36th percentile~ school

Disabled (2026)29th percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)21st percentile-17 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)19th percentile-22 vs school

African American (2026)1st percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts53%-5 vs state

Science50%~ state avg

Mathematics29%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near North Central 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 (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	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
North Central Middle	Public	6-8	805 Keys Lane	Kershaw	29067	Lancaster County	Kershaw 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 424-2740	408	33	12.3	100.0%	284 (69.6%)	49 (12.0%)	45 (11.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.6%)	38.5	213^th of 341 public middle schools	37.5%		39.4	190^th of 321 public middle schools	40.8%	23		53.4	52.7	54.0		35.3	27.9	23.5	49.6	$14,061	$1,152	$951	$2,104	$9,942	$2,016	$11,958
Andrew Jackson Middle	Public	6-8	6865 Kershaw Camden Highway	Kershaw	29067	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 475-6021	480	32	14.9	70.5%	304 (63.3%)	120 (25.0%)	12 (2.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (9.0%)	46.2	171^st of 341 public middle schools	49.9%		49.9	144^th of 321 public middle schools	55.1%	27		47.5	42.8	56.5		45.1	32.6	50.9	48.8	$13,329	$310	$114	$424	$10,659	$2,246	$12,905
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
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
New Heights Middle	Public	6-8	5738 Highway 151	Jefferson	29718	Chesterfield County	Chesterfield 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 658-6830	457	28	16.3	100.0%	143 (31.3%)	171 (37.4%)	92 (20.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (10.7%)	15.9	302^nd of 341 public middle schools	11.4%		14.6	282^nd of 321 public middle schools	12.1%	20		32.9	48.2	41.6		17.2	19.1	22.6	29.8	$12,791	$925	$1,132	$2,057	$8,919	$1,815	$10,734

Frequently Asked Questions about North Central Middle

How many students attend North Central Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 408 students attended North Central Middle.

What is the racial makeup of North Central Middle?

Students at North Central Middle are 70% White, 12% African American, 11% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of North Central Middle attend?

Students who attend North Central Middle usually go on to attend North Central High

Is North Central Middle a good school?

North Central Middle ranks 213^th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is North Central Middle in?

Kershaw 01

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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.