Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

South Middle

Public Grades 6-8

283^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 320 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 12% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

South Middle is a public middle school located in Lancaster, South Carolina, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 492 students. The school is part of the Lancaster 01 School District, which is ranked 25 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

South Middle's academic performance, as measured by standardized test scores, is significantly lower compared to the district and state averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 24.8% of 6th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 56.7% in the district and 56% statewide. Similarly, in 8th-grade mathematics, only 10.5% of students were proficient or better, compared to 32.8% in the district and 32.4% statewide. The school also has consistently high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 20.9% to 30.1% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average.

When compared to other middle schools in the Lancaster 01 district and nearby districts, such as Indian Land Middle and Buford Middle, South Middle consistently ranks among the lowest-performing schools. Additionally, the school's performance has been declining over the past several years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 205 out of 317 middle schools in 2016-2017 to 283 out of 320 middle schools in 2024-2025. Despite these challenges, there is little evidence of significant improvement over time, as the school has maintained a 1-star or 0-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past several years.

439

Students ?

11.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,646

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1551 Billings Drive
Lancaster, SC 29720

(803) 283-8416

District: Lancaster 01

Students who attend South Middle usually attend:

High:

Lancaster High

Feeder schools for South Middle:

Elementary:	Brooklyn Springs Elementary
	Erwin Elementary
	McDonald Green Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

49.9%

White:

22.6%

Hispanic:

22.6%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare South Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 31st percentile in 2015 → 12th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (26% vs 50% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (30% vs 22% South Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg54%

South Carolina avg50%

283^rd of 320

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 12%▼ down 19 pts since 2015

From bottom 31% (2015) to bottom 12% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Middle Schools in the Lancaster 01

25^th 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
2025	14.3	283 of 320	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.9	299 of 325	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.7	298 of 325	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.1	273 of 310	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.0	237 of 311	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.7	236 of 315	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.1	217 of 303	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	37.1	205 of 317	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	44.6	170 of 303	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	34.5	208 of 301	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	33.2	212 of 291	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	40.4	182 of 276	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	38.3	187 of 271	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	41.7	180 of 269	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	41.0	178 of 261	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	49.7	145 of 249	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	46.5	151 of 244	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	46.2	144 of 236	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	36.4	163 of 231	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	29.7	176 of 230	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	33.2	166 of 230	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	31.4	167 of 225	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	22.9	215 of 252	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.0	228 of 248	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.5	244 of 253	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	242 of 249	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	26.9	189 of 235	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.5	203 of 252	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.9	177 of 237	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	20.6	164 of 184	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.2	171 of 177	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.8	175 of 187	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.5	177 of 183	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.5	164 of 164	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	38.9	116 of 195	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.0	114 of 194	41.2%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	14.6	102 of 108	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.3	100 of 105	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.0	86 of 95	9.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.0	83 of 97	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.8	54 of 87	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.1	73 of 117	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.7	64 of 93	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	17.2	244 of 295	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.7	265 of 294	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.8	275 of 299	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.1	264 of 290	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	23.0	216 of 279	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.5	216 of 296	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.6	182 of 281	35.2%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	27.1	154 of 179	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	17.9	138 of 156	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.4	121 of 144	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.3	120 of 141	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.7	103 of 129	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.4	79 of 111	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.8	86 of 139	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.1	78 of 123	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	19.8	265 of 307	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.1	285 of 307	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.4	290 of 313	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.6	268 of 300	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.6	213 of 288	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.7	190 of 289	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.7	188 of 280	32.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	11.2	277 of 296	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.3	279 of 294	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.2	278 of 303	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.5	260 of 292	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.6	218 of 279	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.0	227 of 296	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.5	220 of 284	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	12.5	235 of 257	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.7	248 of 255	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.4	252 of 260	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.6	237 of 249	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.9	197 of 244	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.6	171 of 258	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.1	163 of 250	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Female (2025)17th percentile+6 vs school

African American (2025)15th percentile+3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2021)14th percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)14th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)12th percentile~ school

Disabled (2025)11th percentile~ school

White (2025)9th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)6th percentile-5 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)6th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 294%+20 vs state

English Language Arts31%-25 vs state

Science25%-23 vs state

Mathematics17%-18 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate South Middle and help other families decide.

Rate South Middle

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near South Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SC READY English Language Arts (2025)				SC READY Mathematics (2025)				SC READY Science (2025)	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2025)	EOCEP English 2 (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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	EOCEP English 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
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		99 (22.6%)	219 (49.9%)	99 (22.6%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.1%)	14.3	283^rd of 320 public middle schools	11.6%		11.9	299^th of 325 public middle schools	8.0%	16		24.8	43.5	26.6		20.3	21.2	10.5	25.1	94.1		$13,646	$933	$426	$1,359	$10,178	$2,108	$12,286
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		125 (26.2%)	240 (50.3%)	78 (16.4%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.3%)	15.4	277^th of 320 public middle schools	13.4%		18.6	267^th of 325 public middle schools	17.8%	10		33.1	41.9	39.1		20.3	12.8	10.9	27.2	96.2		$13,783	$1,276	$309	$1,585	$9,947	$2,250	$12,198
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		292 (78.1%)	12 (3.2%)	55 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.7%)	59.4	113^th of 320 public middle schools	64.7%		70.4	77^th of 325 public middle schools	76.3%	36		53.4	63.2	45.6		51.2	42.1	48.2	38.0	100.0		$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		304 (63.3%)	120 (25.0%)	12 (2.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (9.0%)	49.9	145^th of 320 public middle schools	54.7%		54.7	133^rd of 325 public middle schools	59.1%	12		45.2	63.4	45.7		43.6	35.5	35.8	39.7	100.0		$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		162 (54.9%)	81 (27.5%)	32 (10.8%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.7%)	14 (4.7%)	50.5	141^st of 320 public middle schools	55.9%		49.4	152^nd of 325 public middle schools	53.2%	11		60.0	58.2	53.7		40.0	28.5	17.6	54.1	96.6		$13,663	$2,170	$769	$2,939	$8,297	$2,427	$10,724
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		257 (38.4%)	205 (30.6%)	104 (15.5%)	12 (1.8%)	26 (3.9%)	1 (0.1%)	64 (9.6%)	42.2	177^th of 320 public middle schools	44.7%		38.3	191^st of 325 public middle schools	41.2%	14		59.2	51.8	49.3		37.4	22.5	13.6	48.1	91.7		$15,533	$610	$770	$1,380	$12,358	$1,795	$14,153
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		580 (52.6%)	129 (11.7%)	246 (22.3%)	98 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	48 (4.4%)	82.4	50^th of 320 public middle schools	84.4%		82.9	52^nd of 325 public middle schools	84.0%	2			73.8	66.1			54.6	41.6		94.5	100.0	$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		703 (59.5%)	140 (11.9%)	138 (11.7%)	120 (10.2%)	7 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (6.2%)								(n/a)	81.0	74.5			76.8	72.8			78.5			$10,670	$259	$128	$387	$8,867	$1,416	$10,283
Saluda Trail Middle	Public	6-8	2300 Saluda Road	Rock Hill	29730	York County	York 03	No	No	No	No	(803) 981-1800	751	54	13.9		217 (28.9%)	425 (56.6%)	59 (7.9%)	7 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (5.5%)	48.1	151^st of 320 public middle schools	52.8%		46.2	161^st of 325 public middle schools	50.5%	10		61.6	56.8	55.7		35.5	23.3	19.4	50.0	96.4		$15,224	$590	$862	$1,452	$11,818	$1,954	$13,772

Frequently Asked Questions about South Middle

What is the racial makeup of South Middle?

Students at South Middle are 50% African American, 23% White, 23% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of South Middle attend?

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

What district is South Middle in?

Lancaster 01

How many students attend South Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 439 students attended South Middle.

Is South Middle a good school?

South Middle ranks in the bottom 11.6% of South Carolina middle schools.

Rate South Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

SCSouth Carolina Middle School Rankings

SCSouth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Lancaster, SC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for South Middle!

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.