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Laurens Middle

Public Grades 6-8

274^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 341 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 20% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

Laurens Middle serves 373 students in grades 6-8 in Laurens, South Carolina, as part of the Laurens 55 school district, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Academically, Laurens Middle faces significant challenges. In the most recent testing year, English Language Arts proficiency ranged from 42.1% in 6th grade to 47.8% in 8th grade, compared to state averages of 56-59%. Math proficiency was even lower, with only 21.1% of 6th graders and 29.1% of 8th graders meeting standards, versus state averages of 41-44%. Science proficiency for 6th graders was just 23.6% compared to 51.9% statewide. The school's overall ranking has declined over the past decade, from the 60th percentile in 2016-2017 to the 19th percentile today. However, there are notable bright spots. The school reports 100% proficiency on the Algebra 1 EOCEP exam, dramatically higher than the state average of 73.95%, suggesting that students in the advanced math pathway are exceptionally well-prepared. Additionally, chronic absenteeism has dropped from 42.8% in 2021-2022 to 17.9% in 2024-2025, now below the state average of 22.3%—a remarkable improvement that shows targeted interventions can work.

Compared to nearby schools, Laurens Middle spends more per student ($14,605) than higher-performing neighbors like Ralph Chandler Middle ($11,509, 82nd percentile) and Woodruff Middle ($12,335, 59th percentile), yet achieves significantly lower outcomes. Within its own district, Laurens Middle outperforms Sanders Middle in most metrics despite Sanders spending more per student ($18,411). The school also shows concerning disparities in how it serves different student groups, with performance ranging from the 21st percentile for White students to the 5th percentile for African American students. While the school's declining trajectory suggests systemic challenges, the dramatic improvement in attendance and strong Algebra 1 results demonstrate that meaningful progress is possible when resources are directed toward effective strategies.

373

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,817

Per pupil spending ?

70.6%

Directly certified for free meals (2023-24) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2023-24)

1035 West Main Street
Laurens, SC 29360

(864) 984-2400

District: Laurens 55

Students who attend Laurens Middle usually attend:

High:

Laurens District 55 High

Feeder schools for Laurens Middle:

Elementary:

Laurens Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

40.5%

African American:

33.2%

Hispanic:

23.3%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare Laurens Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 48th percentile in 2016 → 20th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (34% vs 51% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 28 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg34%

South Carolina avg51%

274^th of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 28 pts since 2016

From bottom 48% (2016) to bottom 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the Laurens 55

60^th of 75Laurens 55 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	21.5	274 of 341	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.9	260 of 321	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.5	273 of 322	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.3	252 of 325	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.0	230 of 310	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.6	233 of 311	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.3	208 of 315	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.8	141 of 303	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	56.2	128 of 317	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	47.5	159 of 303	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	41.9	172 of 301	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	47.5	161 of 291	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	45.0	163 of 276	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	49.9	149 of 271	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	56.8	131 of 269	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	72.5	66 of 261	74.7%	★★★★☆
2009	74.3	56 of 249	77.5%	★★★★☆
2008	63.4	107 of 244	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	68.6	78 of 236	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	65.5	88 of 231	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	59.3	104 of 230	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2004	66.1	90 of 230	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2003	50.4	122 of 225	45.8%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	14.8	243 of 258	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.5	232 of 251	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.5	243 of 246	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.9	246 of 253	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	26.6	200 of 249	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.8	166 of 235	29.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.5	175 of 252	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.6	58 of 237	75.5%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	26.5	153 of 187	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	51.8	76 of 195	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.2	72 of 194	62.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.7	101 of 113	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.7	103 of 110	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	31.9	79 of 104	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.2	78 of 95	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	86 of 97	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.4	85 of 87	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	27.7	93 of 117	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	49.3	37 of 93	60.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.1	257 of 310	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.3	235 of 295	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.6	247 of 293	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.0	243 of 299	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.3	230 of 290	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.8	219 of 279	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.3	174 of 296	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.0	127 of 281	54.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.4	141 of 159	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.7	151 of 156	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	131 of 144	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.8	130 of 141	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.8	124 of 129	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.6	105 of 111	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	36.2	100 of 139	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.2	74 of 123	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.2	286 of 325	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.4	264 of 308	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.2	274 of 304	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.3	264 of 313	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.5	235 of 300	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.7	228 of 288	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.4	170 of 289	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.1	87 of 280	68.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.1	248 of 310	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.4	251 of 298	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.8	250 of 292	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.3	215 of 303	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.2	212 of 292	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.9	200 of 279	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.4	215 of 296	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	47.5	138 of 284	51.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.5	216 of 271	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.1	200 of 259	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.0	206 of 256	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.9	176 of 260	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.8	195 of 249	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.4	180 of 244	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.3	181 of 258	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.6	120 of 250	52.0%	★★★☆☆

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)

White (2026)20th percentile~ school

Male (2026)20th percentile~ school

Disabled (2023)18th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)17th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)12th percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2026)11th percentile-8 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)11th percentile-9 vs school

African American (2026)6th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts45%-13 vs state

Mathematics26%-16 vs state

Science24%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near Laurens 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 (2026)
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	Directly certified (2023-24)	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
Laurens Middle	Public	6-8	1035 West Main Street	Laurens	29360	Laurens County	Laurens 55	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 984-2400	373	33	11.3	70.6%	151 (40.5%)	124 (33.2%)	87 (23.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.7%)	21.5	274^th of 341 public middle schools	19.6%		20.9	260^th of 321 public middle schools	19.0%	14		42.1	44.1	47.8		21.1	26.9	29.1	23.6	$15,817	$1,210	$452	$1,662	$11,003	$3,152	$14,155
Sanders Middle	Public	6-8	609 Green Street	Laurens	29360	Laurens County	Laurens 55	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 984-0354	250	30	8.3	73.7%	85 (34.0%)	114 (45.6%)	40 (16.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	10 (4.0%)	9.7	322^nd of 341 public middle schools	5.6%		16.4	273^rd of 321 public middle schools	15.0%	49		30.7	30.8	34.5		14.5	12.8	18.5	33.9	$20,438	$1,454	$706	$2,160	$15,034	$3,245	$18,278
Clinton Middle	Public	6-8	800 North Adair Street	Clinton	29325	Laurens County	Laurens 56	No	No	No	No	(864) 833-0807	580	50	11.4	76.9%	300 (51.7%)	215 (37.1%)	34 (5.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.0%)	38.7	211^th of 341 public middle schools	38.1%		40.5	187^th of 321 public middle schools	41.7%	24		50.6	50.2	56.6		32.3	31.1	34.7	44.5	$16,288	$943	$1,137	$2,080	$11,828	$2,379	$14,207
Ware Shoals Elementary Middle	Public	5-8	45 West Main Street	Ware Shoals	29692	Greenwood County	Greenwood 51	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 456-2711	238	18	13.6	71.5%	166 (69.7%)	34 (14.3%)	23 (9.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.3%)	63.5	106^th of 341 public middle schools	68.9%		57.1	117^th of 321 public middle schools	63.6%	11	60.0	58.2	64.8	65.8	40.0	43.6	46.3	42.4	56.4	$15,863	$793	$261	$1,053	$12,247	$2,562	$14,810
Woodruff Middle	Public	6-8	205 S. J. Workman Highway	Woodruff	29388	Spartanburg County	Spartanburg 04	No	No	No	No	(864) 476-3150	701	42	16.5	61.8%	440 (62.8%)	111 (15.8%)	86 (12.3%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	57 (8.1%)	54.9	141^st of 341 public middle schools	58.7%		58.9	113^th of 321 public middle schools	64.8%	28		45.7	59.6	55.7		45.1	49.0	54.9	43.5	$13,152	$715	$1,109	$1,824	$9,192	$2,136	$11,328
Ralph Chandler Middle	Public	6-8	4231 Fork Shoals Road	Simpsonville	29680	Greenville County	Greenville 01	No	No	No	No	(864) 452-0300	763	46	16.7	40.8%	568 (74.4%)	80 (10.5%)	71 (9.3%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (4.8%)	78.3	62^nd of 341 public middle schools	81.8%		73.2	75^th of 321 public middle schools	76.6%	13		69.8	63.3	76.7		49.8	49.2	61.8	63.8	$12,491	$670	$576	$1,246	$10,257	$988	$11,245
Northside Middle	Public	6-8	431 Deadfall Road West	Greenwood	29649	Greenwood County	Greenwood 50	No	No	No	No	(864) 941-5780	593	48	12.4	65.6%	198 (33.4%)	264 (44.5%)	88 (14.8%)	8 (1.3%)	5 (0.8%)	6 (1.0%)	24 (4.0%)	50.9	155^th of 341 public middle schools	54.5%		40.3	188^th of 321 public middle schools	41.4%	33		55.6	63.5	45.1		53.7	46.6	30.8	45.4	$15,362	$1,307	$644	$1,951	$11,564	$1,847	$13,411
Bryson Middle	Public	6-8	3657 South Industrial Drive	Simpsonville	29681	Greenville County	Greenville 01	No	No	No	No	(864) 355-2100	941	56	16.8	57.2%	353 (37.5%)	345 (36.7%)	165 (17.5%)	12 (1.3%)	5 (0.5%)	4 (0.4%)	57 (6.1%)	45.1	178^th of 341 public middle schools	47.8%		45.4	161^st of 321 public middle schools	49.8%	17		51.9	52.7	56.2		42.9	36.9	29.0	51.3	$11,622	$543	$602	$1,145	$9,621	$855	$10,477
Brewer Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1000 Emerald Road	Greenwood	29646	Greenwood County	Greenwood 50	No	Yes	No	No	(864) 941-5500	600	52	11.4	73.2%	156 (26.0%)	312 (52.0%)	102 (17.0%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	21 (3.5%)	45.2	177^th of 341 public middle schools	48.1%		27.9	238^th of 321 public middle schools	25.9%	61		43.3	57.4	59.6		39.7	38.7	49.4	32.5	$14,780	$949	$693	$1,642	$11,727	$1,411	$13,138

Frequently Asked Questions about Laurens Middle

What high school do graduates of Laurens Middle attend?

Students who attend Laurens Middle usually go on to attend Laurens District 55 High

What is the racial makeup of Laurens Middle?

Students at Laurens Middle are 40% White, 33% African American, 23% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

What district is Laurens Middle in?

Laurens 55

How many students attend Laurens Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 373 students attended Laurens Middle.

Is Laurens Middle a good school?

Laurens Middle ranks in the bottom 19.6% of South Carolina middle schools.

Rate Laurens Middle!

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Schools in Laurens, SC

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresAug 10, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataNov 3, 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.