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Buford Middle

Q: Is Buford Middle a good school?

Buford Middle ranks 140 th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

140^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 341 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 59% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

Buford Middle in Lancaster, SC, serves 374 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Lancaster 01 school district, a 4-star district ranked 23rd in the state.

Buford Middle is a solid mid-tier school with a few standout strengths that make it worth a closer look. The most impressive is its work with disabled students—the school ranks 9th out of 191 middle schools statewide (95th percentile) for this group, earning a 5-star rating. That's a remarkable achievement and suggests highly effective, targeted support systems. Another bright spot is math: Buford has achieved a perfect 100% proficiency rate on the Algebra 1 end-of-course exam for three straight years, far outpacing the district (79.6%) and state (74%). This success shows up in 8th-grade math, where 60.8% of students are proficient—more than double the rate at nearby South Middle (26.6%) and nearly triple that of A. R. Rucker Middle (20.3%). Within the district, Buford is a clear standout among the traditional middle schools, though it doesn't reach the top-tier level of Indian Land Middle.

However, there are areas of concern. Chronic absenteeism is high at 31%, well above the district (21.5%) and state (22.3%) averages, and it's been climbing steadily. The school also shows a gender gap—boys outperform girls academically—and while disabled students thrive, other subgroups like White students and Gifted & Talented students rank in the mid-20th percentile, suggesting the school may not be challenging its highest achievers as effectively. The school spends generously ($14,477 per student, more than any comparable school in the district) and maintains a favorable 12.8:1 student-teacher ratio, so resources are available. After a dip to the 42nd percentile in 2022-2023, Buford rebounded to the 76th percentile the following year, showing it can improve. For parents, this is a school with clear pockets of excellence—especially in math and special education—but with attendance and equity challenges that are worth monitoring.

374

Students ?

12.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,477

Per pupil spending ?

59%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1890 North Rocky River Road
Lancaster, SC 29720

(803) 285-8473

District: Lancaster 01

Students who attend Buford Middle usually attend:

High:

Lancaster High

Feeder schools for Buford Middle:

Elementary:

North Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

78.1%

Hispanic:

14.7%

Two or more races:

3.7%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare Buford Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 51st percentile in 2016 → 59th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the South Carolina median (59th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 22% South Carolina)

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

!Science scores 11 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

District avg56%

South Carolina avg51%

140^th of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 41%▲ up 8 pts since 2016

From top 49% (2016) to top 41% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5Middle Schools in the Lancaster 01

23^rd of 75Lancaster 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	55.3	140 of 341	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.4	112 of 321	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.4	75 of 322	76.7%	★★★★☆
2023	40.3	189 of 325	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.1	134 of 310	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.9	123 of 311	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.9	143 of 315	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.3	149 of 303	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	44.8	173 of 317	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	50.9	148 of 303	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	50.1	148 of 301	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	54.5	132 of 291	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	47.4	156 of 276	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	42.8	172 of 271	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	37.7	190 of 269	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	45.6	164 of 261	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	46.1	152 of 249	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	46.1	153 of 244	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	48.8	140 of 236	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	51.3	127 of 231	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2005	61.4	101 of 230	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	53.5	119 of 230	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2003	54.5	107 of 225	52.4%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	86.3	9 of 192	95.3%	★★★★★
2025	54.1	67 of 184	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	74.9	21 of 177	88.1%	★★★★☆
2023	37.5	112 of 187	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	69.7	29 of 183	84.2%	★★★★☆
2021	58.3	47 of 164	71.3%	★★★★☆
2019	69.3	34 of 195	82.6%	★★★★☆
2018	67.7	37 of 194	80.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.2	151 of 310	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.9	99 of 295	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.1	88 of 293	70.0%	★★★★☆
2023	33.3	204 of 299	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.0	109 of 290	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.7	98 of 279	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.5	135 of 296	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.0	153 of 281	45.6%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.6	126 of 197	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.1	113 of 173	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.3	129 of 184	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	17.4	168 of 185	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	32.1	150 of 182	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	49.1	118 of 179	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	70.3	37 of 156	76.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.4	126 of 325	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.0	75 of 308	75.6%	★★★★☆
2024	77.6	44 of 304	85.5%	★★★★☆
2023	45.6	157 of 313	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.6	102 of 300	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.6	113 of 288	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.0	125 of 289	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	38.3	171 of 280	38.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.5	112 of 310	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.7	114 of 298	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.2	66 of 292	77.4%	★★★★☆
2023	48.5	141 of 303	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.0	135 of 292	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.2	124 of 279	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.7	136 of 296	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.1	136 of 284	52.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.7	202 of 271	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.5	178 of 259	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.7	137 of 256	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.2	215 of 260	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.7	183 of 249	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.4	164 of 244	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.6	200 of 258	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.8	195 of 250	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2026)95th percentile+36 vs school

Hispanic (2025)76th percentile+11 vs school

Male (2026)64th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)61st percentile~ school

Female (2026)51st percentile-8 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)36th percentile-23 vs school

White (2026)25th percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts54%-4 vs state

Mathematics52%+10 vs state

Science40%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Buford 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
Buford Middle	Public	6-8	1890 North Rocky River Road	Lancaster	29720	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 285-8473	374	29	12.8	59.0%	292 (78.1%)	12 (3.2%)	55 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.7%)	55.3	140^th of 341 public middle schools	58.9%		59.4	112^th of 321 public middle schools	65.1%	28		45.0	59.6	57.6		42.0	53.8	60.8	40.5		$14,477	$399	$124	$523	$11,964	$1,990	$13,954
A. R. Rucker Middle	Public	6-8	422 Old Dixie Road	Lancaster	29720	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 416-8555	477	37	12.7	100.0%	125 (26.2%)	240 (50.3%)	78 (16.4%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.3%)	19.9	282^nd of 341 public middle schools	17.3%		15.4	279^th of 321 public middle schools	13.1%	3		44.1	37.2	39.5		25.0	21.5	20.3	40.5		$13,783	$1,276	$309	$1,585	$9,947	$2,250	$12,198
South Middle	Public	6-8	1551 Billings Drive	Lancaster	29720	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 283-8416	439	38	11.5	100.0%	99 (22.6%)	219 (49.9%)	99 (22.6%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.1%)	19.3	283^rd of 341 public middle schools	17.0%		14.3	285^th of 321 public middle schools	11.2%	2		39.6	32.1	43.6		24.1	24.4	26.6	36.8		$13,646	$933	$426	$1,359	$10,178	$2,108	$12,286
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
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
Indian Land Middle	Public	7-8	8361 Charlotte Highway	Indian Land	29707	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 578-2500	1,102	64	17.2	27.8%	580 (52.6%)	129 (11.7%)	246 (22.3%)	98 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	48 (4.4%)	88.1	36^th of 341 public middle schools	89.4%		82.4	49^th of 321 public middle schools	84.7%	13			75.3	74.2			66.1	60.4			$11,377	$335	$142	$477	$8,830	$2,070	$10,900
Indian Land Intermediate	Public	5-6	8361 Charlotte Highway	Indian Land	29707	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 547-3600	1,181	72	16.4	21.2%	703 (59.5%)	140 (11.9%)	138 (11.7%)	120 (10.2%)	7 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (6.2%)								(n/a)	80.2	79.1			75.7	71.6			79.5		$10,670	$259	$128	$387	$8,867	$1,416	$10,283

Frequently Asked Questions about Buford Middle

What high school do graduates of Buford Middle attend?

Students who attend Buford Middle usually go on to attend Lancaster High

What is the racial makeup of Buford Middle?

Students at Buford Middle are 78% White, 15% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% African American.

Is Buford Middle a good school?

Buford Middle ranks 140^th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Buford Middle in?

Lancaster 01

How many students attend Buford Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 374 students attended Buford 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.