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A. R. Rucker Middle

Public Grades 6-8

282^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 341 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 17% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

A. R. Rucker Middle serves 477 students in grades 6-8 in Lancaster, SC, as part of the Lancaster 01 school district. The school has faced significant challenges in recent years, ranking in the bottom quintile of South Carolina middle schools, though there are signs of gradual improvement.

The most pressing concern at A. R. Rucker is chronic absenteeism, with 30.8% of students missing significant school time in 2024-2025—well above the state average of 22.3%. This pattern has persisted for several years, with rates reaching nearly 40% in 2023-2024. Academic achievement also lags behind district and state averages, particularly in mathematics, where proficiency rates hover around 20-25% compared to roughly 40-44% statewide. English Language Arts proficiency is stronger but still trails, with about 37-44% of students meeting standards versus 56-59% statewide. The school serves a high-poverty population, with 100% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch.

Despite these challenges, there are notable bright spots. Students in advanced Algebra 1 courses perform exceptionally well, with 96% scoring proficient on the state EOCEP exam—far exceeding district and state averages. The school also demonstrates strength in serving disabled students, ranking in the 57th percentile statewide, suggesting effective special education programming. When compared to nearby Buford Middle, which serves a similar student population with comparable absenteeism rates, A. R. Rucker's math proficiency is dramatically lower (20% vs. 54-61%), pointing to potential instructional differences worth investigating. The school spends more per student ($13,783) than some higher-performing schools in the district and maintains a favorable 12.7:1 student-teacher ratio. While the school's ranking has improved slightly from its lowest point in 2020-2021, continued focus on attendance and math instruction will be critical for future progress.

477

Students ?

12.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,783

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

422 Old Dixie Road
Lancaster, SC 29720

(803) 416-8555

District: Lancaster 01

Students who attend A. R. Rucker Middle usually attend:

High:

Buford High

Feeder schools for A. R. Rucker Middle:

Elementary:

Buford Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

50.3%

White:

26.2%

Hispanic:

16.4%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare A. R. Rucker Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 35th percentile in 2016 → 17th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (33% vs 51% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school33%

District avg56%

South Carolina avg51%

282^nd of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 17%▼ down 18 pts since 2016

From bottom 35% (2016) to bottom 17% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th 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	19.9	282 of 341	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.4	279 of 321	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.6	266 of 322	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.7	267 of 325	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.9	268 of 310	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.7	289 of 311	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	29.5	226 of 315	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.5	209 of 303	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	39.4	193 of 317	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	39.6	197 of 303	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	33.3	213 of 301	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	37.3	196 of 291	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	36.1	195 of 276	29.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	29.0	219 of 271	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	36.0	193 of 269	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	48.0	155 of 261	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	40.4	173 of 249	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	36.6	176 of 244	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	36.4	168 of 236	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	37.1	159 of 231	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	36.5	162 of 230	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	19.7	202 of 230	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	28.9	173 of 225	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.6	224 of 258	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.1	238 of 251	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.2	216 of 246	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.1	237 of 253	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.8	240 of 249	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.4	233 of 235	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	37.5	154 of 252	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.9	138 of 237	41.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.7	115 of 192	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.8	80 of 184	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.1	82 of 177	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.6	127 of 187	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.2	160 of 183	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.8	117 of 195	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.0	68 of 194	64.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	47.3	55 of 117	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.2	19 of 93	79.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.4	246 of 310	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.8	258 of 295	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.9	257 of 293	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.1	264 of 299	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.0	265 of 290	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.2	261 of 279	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	34.8	198 of 296	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.5	187 of 281	33.5%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	37.7	143 of 184	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.3	160 of 182	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.9	145 of 159	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.8	153 of 156	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.2	128 of 144	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.5	111 of 141	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.9	111 of 129	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.6	81 of 139	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.7	37 of 123	69.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.3	275 of 325	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.6	279 of 308	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.7	264 of 304	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	269 of 313	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.0	283 of 300	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.0	283 of 288	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	30.5	214 of 289	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.0	174 of 280	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.4	267 of 310	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.1	260 of 298	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.3	230 of 292	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.7	234 of 303	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.4	253 of 292	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.1	255 of 279	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.8	228 of 296	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.1	205 of 284	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.6	197 of 271	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.5	190 of 259	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.1	204 of 256	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.7	206 of 260	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.6	208 of 249	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.5	209 of 244	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.6	160 of 258	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.6	152 of 250	39.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2019)53rd percentile+25 vs school

Disabled (2026)40th percentile+23 vs school

White (2026)27th percentile+10 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2024)22nd percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)21st percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)15th percentile~ school

Male (2026)14th percentile-3 vs school

African American (2026)13th percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)9th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science40%-11 vs state

English Language Arts40%-18 vs state

Mathematics22%-20 vs state

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Saturday, November 18, 2017

This school has poor support for it's teachers. Most of the teachers are highly qualified and educated, but the administration rarely trusts their judgement, including teachers who have been recognized by the district as teacher of the year. The administration too often want to please the parents because it fears lawsuits that it loses the trust and faith from the teachers. Close Quote

Schools Near A. R. Rucker 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
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
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
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
Lewisville Middle	Public	6-8	3595 Lancaster Highway	Richburg	29729	Chester County	Chester 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 789-5858	295	22	13.4	100.0%	162 (54.9%)	81 (27.5%)	32 (10.8%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.7%)	14 (4.7%)	66.4	99^th of 341 public middle schools	71.0%		50.5	141^st of 321 public middle schools	56.1%	42		70.4	64.2	69.4		45.1	42.9	38.4	57.2		$13,663	$2,170	$769	$2,939	$8,297	$2,427	$10,724
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
Castle Heights Middle	Public	6-8	2382 Firetower Road	Rock Hill	29730	York County	York 03	No	No	No	No	(803) 981-1400	669	48	13.9	100.0%	257 (38.4%)	205 (30.6%)	104 (15.5%)	12 (1.8%)	26 (3.9%)	1 (0.1%)	64 (9.6%)	39.1	207^th of 341 public middle schools	39.3%		42.2	176^th of 321 public middle schools	45.2%	31		44.9	54.4	44.1		38.3	37.4	38.2	45.1		$15,533	$610	$770	$1,380	$12,358	$1,795	$14,153
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 A. R. Rucker Middle

How many students attend A. R. Rucker Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 477 students attended A. R. Rucker Middle.

What is the racial makeup of A. R. Rucker Middle?

Students at A. R. Rucker Middle are 50% African American, 26% White, 16% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of A. R. Rucker Middle attend?

Students who attend A. R. Rucker Middle usually go on to attend Buford High

What district is A. R. Rucker Middle in?

Lancaster 01

Is A. R. Rucker Middle a good school?

A. R. Rucker Middle ranks in the bottom 17.3% of South Carolina middle schools.

Rate A. R. Rucker 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.