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Pelion Middle

Q: Is Pelion Middle a good school?

Pelion Middle ranks 189 th of 335 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

189^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 335 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 44% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

Pelion Middle serves 513 students in grades 6-8 in the small town of Pelion, SC, and is part of the highly regarded Lexington 01 district, which ranks 14th in the state. While the school has historically ranked in the bottom 20-30% of South Carolina middle schools, it has shown a promising upward trend, jumping from the 14th percentile to the 44th percentile in the most recent school year—a significant improvement that suggests positive momentum.

The most pressing challenge at Pelion Middle is chronic absenteeism. In the 2024-2025 school year, 40.8% of students were chronically absent (missing 10% or more of the school year), which is nearly double the district average of 22.7% and far higher than nearby schools like Lakeside Middle (14.9%) and Pleasant Hill Middle (14.9%). This persistent issue likely impacts academic performance, as proficiency rates in core subjects remain below district averages. For example, 7th-grade ELA proficiency is 48.9% compared to the district's 68%, and 8th-grade math proficiency is 39.3% versus the district's 49.4%. However, there is a remarkable bright spot: 8th-grade math proficiency skyrocketed from just 11.8% to 39.3% in one year, suggesting targeted interventions are working.

Interestingly, Pelion Middle excels with specific student subgroups. Hispanic students, English Language Learners, and low-income students all rank in the 55th-60th percentile statewide (3 stars), outperforming the state average for these groups. Additionally, students taking Algebra 1 perform exceptionally well, with 92.11% scoring proficient—far exceeding the district (78.25%) and state (73.95%) averages. The school also spends more per student ($15,624) than higher-performing peers like Lakeside Middle ($13,290), and maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.4. While Pelion Middle remains the lowest-performing school in its district, it outperforms schools in neighboring Lexington 04 like Sandhills Middle, placing it in a unique middle ground. Addressing attendance should be the top priority to translate resources into consistent academic gains.

513

Students ?

11.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,624

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

325 Main Street
Pelion, SC 29123

(803) 821-2300

District: Lexington 01

Students who attend Pelion Middle usually attend:

High:

Pelion High

Feeder schools for Pelion Middle:

Elementary:	Forts Pond Elementary
	Pelion Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

67.8%

Hispanic:

20.7%

Two or more races:

6.2%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare Pelion Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 28th percentile in 2016 → 44th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 16 percentile points since 2016

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (44% vs 51% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (41% vs 22% South Carolina)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school44%

District avg60%

South Carolina avg51%

189^th of 335

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 44%▲ up 15 pts since 2016

From bottom 28% (2016) to bottom 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 8Middle Schools in the Lexington 01

14^th of 75Lexington 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	42.2	189 of 335	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.2	207 of 320	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.0	253 of 325	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.2	280 of 325	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	248 of 310	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.7	245 of 311	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.2	256 of 315	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.5	252 of 303	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	27.1	237 of 317	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	31.6	217 of 303	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	34.1	210 of 301	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	30.2	224 of 291	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.8	217 of 276	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	49.0	154 of 271	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	48.4	161 of 269	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.6	172 of 261	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	43.3	160 of 249	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	54.2	131 of 244	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	47.8	142 of 236	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	46.6	141 of 231	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2005	52.1	119 of 230	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2004	52.9	121 of 230	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2003	52.9	112 of 225	50.2%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.0	103 of 191	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.9	144 of 184	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.1	148 of 177	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.0	173 of 187	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.6	174 of 183	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.2	140 of 164	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.9	141 of 195	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.5	162 of 194	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.6	51 of 113	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.7	50 of 108	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.1	57 of 105	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.3	65 of 97	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.3	86 of 117	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.3	180 of 305	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.2	175 of 295	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.7	219 of 294	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.3	241 of 299	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.5	223 of 290	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.4	230 of 279	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.7	246 of 296	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.8	241 of 281	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	18.4	163 of 182	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.3	162 of 179	9.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.7	69 of 159	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	33.0	106 of 156	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.8	116 of 144	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.9	125 of 141	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.5	113 of 129	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.1	93 of 111	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.0	127 of 139	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.5	118 of 123	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.6	127 of 320	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.1	174 of 307	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.1	238 of 307	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.3	284 of 313	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.0	239 of 300	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.0	220 of 288	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.3	234 of 289	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.6	240 of 280	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.6	174 of 306	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.6	226 of 296	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.7	250 of 294	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.1	274 of 303	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.7	258 of 292	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.6	210 of 279	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.2	238 of 296	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.7	227 of 284	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	17.3	233 of 268	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.9	233 of 257	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.9	247 of 255	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.0	259 of 260	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.0	246 of 249	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.6	233 of 244	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.4	246 of 258	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.1	246 of 250	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)60th percentile+17 vs school

Hispanic (2026)57th percentile+13 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)55th percentile+11 vs school

Disabled (2026)46th percentile~ school

Male (2026)43rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)41st percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)13th percentile-31 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2022)10th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science52%~ state avg

English Language Arts52%-7 vs state

Mathematics35%-7 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, January 7, 2016

Horrible school. My daughter was bullied there countless and the school did absolutely NOTHING for 3 whole years. The teachers are horrible and do not teach their students well. Causing many failing grades. These actions have put my daughter through horrible actions and times. I will never go back to that school. If you want to put your child in middle school, please pick a different school. Close Quote

Schools Near Pelion 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	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
Pelion Middle	Public	6-8	325 Main Street	Pelion	29123	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 821-2300	513	45	11.4		348 (67.8%)	26 (5.1%)	106 (20.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (6.2%)	42.2	189^th of 335 public middle schools	43.6%		34.2	207^th of 320 public middle schools	35.3%	18		55.1	48.9	50.7		30.5	35.1	39.3	52.1	$15,624	$1,258	$615	$1,873	$12,035	$1,717	$13,751
Sandhills Middle	Public	7-8	582 Meadowfield Road	Gaston	29053	Lexington County	Lexington 04	No	No	No	No	(803) 490-7005	495	37	13.3		204 (41.2%)	111 (22.4%)	146 (29.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	30 (6.1%)	11.9	311^th of 335 public middle schools	7.2%		11	300^th of 320 public middle schools	6.3%	11			42.1	40.4			14.2	16.4		$12,734	$969	$1,088	$2,057	$9,353	$1,324	$10,677
Carolina Springs Middle	Public	6-8	6180 Platt Springs Road	Lexington	29073	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 821-4900	791	64	12.3		382 (48.3%)	242 (30.6%)	98 (12.4%)	11 (1.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (7.0%)	50.7	154^th of 335 public middle schools	54.0%		46.9	155^th of 320 public middle schools	51.6%	1		67.9	57.0	54.8		45.9	31.2	26.1	54.0	$14,288	$1,061	$444	$1,505	$11,241	$1,542	$12,783
A. L. Corbett Middle	Public	6-8	10 A L Corbett Circle	Wagener	29164	Aiken County	Aiken 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 564-1050	203	15	13.5		85 (41.9%)	84 (41.4%)	14 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (9.9%)	20.4	275^th of 335 public middle schools	17.9%		20.3	259^th of 320 public middle schools	19.1%	16		41.3	48.5	36.9		24.0	17.7	22.7	41.4	$9,755	$190	$827	$1,018	$6,664	$2,073	$8,737
Frances F. Mack Intermediate	Public	5-6	161 Gaston Street	Gaston	29053	Lexington County	Lexington 04	No	No	No	No	(803) 490-7004	515	38	13.5		246 (47.8%)	78 (15.1%)	148 (28.7%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (7.4%)								(n/a)	43.7	37.1			26.1	20.9			26.2	$15,010	$778	$2,597	$3,376	$10,078	$1,556	$11,634
White Knoll Middle	Public	6-8	116 White Knoll Way	West Columbia	29170	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 821-4300	693	54	12.8		362 (52.2%)	132 (19.0%)	137 (19.8%)	6 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	55 (7.9%)	40	200^th of 335 public middle schools	40.3%		31.7	224^th of 320 public middle schools	30.0%	24		52.2	50.6	50.0		32.1	38.0	28.2	51.0	$15,279	$823	$476	$1,299	$12,400	$1,580	$13,980
Gilbert Middle	Public	6-8	120 Rikard Circle	Gilbert	29054	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 821-1700	804	65	12.4		566 (70.4%)	58 (7.2%)	140 (17.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (4.6%)	56.6	134^th of 335 public middle schools	60.0%		51.1	139^th of 320 public middle schools	56.6%	5		61.3	59.2	55.0		36.1	47.8	39.3	57.4	$14,097	$753	$362	$1,115	$11,641	$1,340	$12,982
Pine Ridge Middle	Public	6-8	735 Pine Ridge Drive	West Columbia	29172	Lexington County	Lexington 02	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 755-7400	379	31	12.2		113 (29.8%)	139 (36.7%)	108 (28.5%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.7%)	17.4	289^th of 335 public middle schools	13.7%		15.4	276^th of 320 public middle schools	13.8%	13		36.4	39.6	34.9		22.7	22.6	25.6	38.6	$17,076	$669	$2,162	$2,832	$10,992	$3,253	$14,245
Pleasant Hill Middle	Public	6-8	660 Rawl Road	Lexington	29072	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 821-2700	750	55	13.7		518 (69.1%)	95 (12.7%)	66 (8.8%)	34 (4.5%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.5%)	32 (4.3%)	88.6	35^th of 335 public middle schools	89.6%		86.1	40^th of 320 public middle schools	87.5%	5		79.1	73.0	79.5		59.5	57.2	64.8	67.9	$14,606	$844	$423	$1,267	$11,763	$1,576	$13,339
R. H. Fulmer Middle	Public	6-8	1614 Walterboro St.	West Columbia	29170	Lexington County	Lexington 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 822-5660	526	47	11.1		221 (42.0%)	176 (33.5%)	92 (17.5%)	4 (0.8%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	28 (5.3%)	45.9	172^nd of 335 public middle schools	48.7%		42.7	176^th of 320 public middle schools	45.0%	4		43.3	51.8	53.9		33.1	36.7	56.2	49.4	$15,079	$689	$1,316	$2,005	$10,905	$2,170	$13,074

Frequently Asked Questions about Pelion Middle

Is Pelion Middle a good school?

Pelion Middle ranks 189^th of 335 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Pelion Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 513 students attended Pelion Middle.

What district is Pelion Middle in?

Lexington 01

What high school do graduates of Pelion Middle attend?

Students who attend Pelion Middle usually go on to attend Pelion High

What is the racial makeup of Pelion Middle?

Students at Pelion Middle are 68% White, 21% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 5% African American.

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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.