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Lakeside Middle

Public Grades 6-8

21^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 341 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 94% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

Lakeside Middle, located at 455 Old Cherokee Road in Lexington, SC, serves 893 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the highly-rated Lexington 01 school district.

Lakeside Middle is one of the top-performing middle schools in South Carolina, currently ranking 20th out of 335 schools statewide (94th percentile, 5 stars) for the 2025-2026 school year. What makes this especially impressive is the school's momentum—it has climbed from the 78th percentile just four years ago to its current elite status. This upward trajectory outpaces nearby peers like Beechwood Middle (ranked 23rd) and Meadow Glen Middle (ranked 27th), while schools like White Knoll Middle (ranked 200th) and St. Andrews Middle (ranked 319th) lag significantly behind. Lakeside achieves these results with efficient resource use—spending $13,290 per student, which is actually less than several lower-performing schools in the area.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Lakeside is its exceptional support for students who often struggle elsewhere. The school ranks 5th in the state (97th percentile) for disabled students and 4th (96th percentile) for English Language Learners—placing it in the top 3-4% of schools serving these populations. Academically, Lakeside achieves a perfect 100% proficiency rate on the Algebra 1 End-of-Course Exam, far exceeding the district average of 78.25%. The school has also made dramatic improvements in math, with 8th-grade proficiency jumping from 43% to 61.4% in just two years. Chronic absenteeism sits at 14.9%, well below the district average of 22.7%, and the student-teacher ratio of 12.9:1 supports personalized attention. With strong performance across nearly all demographic subgroups and a student-teacher ratio that supports individualized instruction, Lakeside Middle represents one of the strongest educational options in South Carolina.

893

Students ?

12.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,247

Per pupil spending ?

27.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2023-24) ?

95%

Students (all grades) with required immunizations (2025-26)

455 Old Cherokee Road
Lexington, SC 29072

(803) 821-3700

District: Lexington 01

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.0%

African American:

10.9%

Asian:

7.5%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare Lakeside Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 87th percentile in 2016 → 94th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Carolina average (72% vs 51% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 6% of South Carolina middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school72%

District avg60%

South Carolina avg51%

21^st of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 6%▲ up 7 pts since 2016

From top 13% (2016) to top 6% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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	91.6	21 of 341	93.8%	★★★★★
2025	89.2	32 of 321	90.0%	★★★★★
2024	84.1	46 of 322	85.7%	★★★★☆
2023	85.3	44 of 325	86.5%	★★★★☆
2022	75.0	67 of 310	78.4%	★★★★☆
2021	81.0	53 of 311	83.0%	★★★★☆
2019	83.5	47 of 315	85.1%	★★★★☆
2018	80.8	47 of 303	84.5%	★★★★☆
2017	82.3	46 of 317	85.5%	★★★★☆
2016	81.8	40 of 303	86.8%	★★★★☆
2015	85.8	33 of 301	89.0%	★★★★☆
2014	86.4	29 of 291	90.0%	★★★★★
2013	85.5	31 of 276	88.8%	★★★★☆
2012	87.6	17 of 271	93.7%	★★★★★
2011	89.4	14 of 269	94.8%	★★★★★
2010	89.7	13 of 261	95.0%	★★★★★
2009	89.6	12 of 249	95.2%	★★★★★
2008	87.9	14 of 244	94.3%	★★★★★
2007	90.0	12 of 236	94.9%	★★★★★
2006	92.4	7 of 231	97.0%	★★★★★
2005	93.0	8 of 230	96.5%	★★★★★
2004	93.4	7 of 230	97.0%	★★★★★
2003	93.1	8 of 225	96.4%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	72.2	35 of 258	86.4%	★★★★☆
2025	60.0	73 of 251	70.9%	★★★★☆
2024	53.5	96 of 246	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	78.7	33 of 253	87.0%	★★★★☆
2022	42.5	127 of 249	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	59.4	68 of 235	71.1%	★★★★☆
2019	67.6	48 of 252	81.0%	★★★★☆
2018	79.1	25 of 237	89.5%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	38.0	8 of 10	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	92.7	5 of 192	97.4%	★★★★★
2025	92.3	6 of 184	96.7%	★★★★★
2024	76.4	20 of 177	88.7%	★★★★☆
2023	76.3	28 of 187	85.0%	★★★★☆
2022	69.4	30 of 183	83.6%	★★★★☆
2021	80.9	15 of 164	90.9%	★★★★★
2019	91.3	9 of 195	95.4%	★★★★★
2018	91.7	5 of 194	97.4%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	97.6	4 of 113	96.5%	★★★★★
2025	98.2	2 of 110	98.2%	★★★★★
2024	90.5	9 of 104	91.3%	★★★★★
2019	79.4	20 of 117	82.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	90.9	18 of 310	94.2%	★★★★★
2025	89.1	29 of 295	90.2%	★★★★★
2024	82.8	42 of 293	85.7%	★★★★☆
2023	85.0	40 of 299	86.6%	★★★★☆
2022	72.6	69 of 290	76.2%	★★★★☆
2021	77.4	52 of 279	81.4%	★★★★☆
2019	82.6	47 of 296	84.1%	★★★★☆
2018	83.7	38 of 281	86.5%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.2	22 of 197	88.8%	★★★★☆
2025	77.7	16 of 173	90.8%	★★★★★
2024	66.2	73 of 184	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	73.2	45 of 185	75.7%	★★★★☆
2022	70.2	50 of 182	72.5%	★★★★☆
2021	71.2	41 of 179	77.1%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	94.3	5 of 144	96.5%	★★★★★
2023	85.0	15 of 141	89.4%	★★★★★
2019	87.0	12 of 139	91.4%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.6	56 of 325	82.8%	★★★★☆
2025	78.2	48 of 308	84.4%	★★★★☆
2024	62.9	83 of 304	72.7%	★★★★☆
2023	63.5	85 of 313	72.8%	★★★★☆
2022	53.9	113 of 300	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.2	86 of 288	70.1%	★★★★☆
2019	76.4	48 of 289	83.4%	★★★★☆
2018	71.1	56 of 280	80.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	90.6	20 of 310	93.5%	★★★★★
2025	88.5	31 of 298	89.6%	★★★★☆
2024	83.5	44 of 292	84.9%	★★★★☆
2023	83.6	44 of 303	85.5%	★★★★☆
2022	76.3	61 of 292	79.1%	★★★★☆
2021	83.0	40 of 279	85.7%	★★★★☆
2019	84.5	40 of 296	86.5%	★★★★☆
2018	77.7	51 of 284	82.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	84.9	31 of 271	88.6%	★★★★☆
2025	79.6	52 of 259	79.9%	★★★★☆
2024	68.1	73 of 256	71.5%	★★★★☆
2023	69.7	73 of 260	71.9%	★★★★☆
2022	55.3	100 of 249	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.2	76 of 244	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.3	76 of 258	70.5%	★★★★☆
2018	66.6	77 of 250	69.2%	★★★☆☆

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)

Disabled (2026)97th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2024)97th percentile+11 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)96th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)94th percentile~ school

Male (2026)94th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2026)89th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)89th percentile-5 vs school

African American (2026)86th percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)83rd percentile-11 vs school

Asian (2025)20th percentile-70 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts79%+21 vs state

Science77%+25 vs state

Mathematics64%+22 vs state

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Schools Near Lakeside 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 Vaccination 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)	Vaccination (2025-26)		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	Free/reduced lunch (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 6th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 8th 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	Vaccination: Students (all grades) with required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	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
Lakeside Middle	Public	6-8	455 Old Cherokee Road	Lexington	29072	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 821-3700	893	69	12.9	27.7%	634 (71.0%)	97 (10.9%)	57 (6.4%)	67 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	36 (4.0%)	91.6	21^st of 341 public middle schools	93.8%		89.2	32^nd of 321 public middle schools	90.0%	11	76.8	83.0	77.6	62.3	68.2	61.4	77.1		95%		$14,247	$735	$390	$1,125	$11,611	$1,511	$13,122
Meadow Glen Middle	Public	6-8	440 Ginny Lane	Lexington	29072	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 821-0600	778	61	12.7	30.8%	501 (64.4%)	92 (11.8%)	57 (7.3%)	87 (11.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (5.3%)	89.9	29^th of 341 public middle schools	91.5%		92.8	19^th of 321 public middle schools	94.1%	10	75.3	79.1	75.3	56.6	67.6	68.9	69.7		95%		$15,244	$800	$398	$1,199	$12,394	$1,651	$14,045
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	28.6%	518 (69.1%)	95 (12.7%)	66 (8.8%)	34 (4.5%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.5%)	32 (4.3%)	87.8	37^th of 341 public middle schools	89.1%		86.1	39^th of 321 public middle schools	87.9%	2	79.1	73.0	79.5	59.5	57.2	64.8	67.9		95%		$15,021	$659	$457	$1,116	$12,328	$1,577	$13,905
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	63.2%	362 (52.2%)	132 (19.0%)	137 (19.8%)	6 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	55 (7.9%)	39.7	202^nd of 341 public middle schools	40.8%		31.7	225^th of 321 public middle schools	29.9%	23	52.2	50.6	50.0	32.1	38.0	28.2	51.0		96%		$14,910	$722	$472	$1,194	$12,164	$1,553	$13,717
Irmo Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	6051 Wescott Road	Columbia	29212	Lexington County	Lexington 05	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 476-3600	992	87	11.4	—	335 (33.8%)	439 (44.3%)	85 (8.6%)	36 (3.6%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	93 (9.4%)	52.1	150^th of 341 public middle schools	56.0%		51.2	138^th of 321 public middle schools	57.0%	12	82.6	50.9	51.4	69.6	34.0	36.3	79.2		86%		$16,420	$410	$565	$974	$12,942	$1,529	$15,445
Beechwood Middle	Public	6-8	1340 Highway 378	Lexington	29072	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 821-5700	1,033	72	14.4	24.8%	788 (76.3%)	71 (6.9%)	69 (6.7%)	41 (4.0%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	60 (5.8%)	91	24^th of 341 public middle schools	93.0%		90.4	26^th of 321 public middle schools	91.9%	2	77.4	79.1	76.9	67.2	69.5	58.5	73.9		96%		$13,481	$519	$344	$862	$11,215	$1,404	$12,619
CrossRoads Intermediate	Public	6	6949 St. Andrews Road	Columbia	29212	Lexington County	Lexington 05	No	No	No	No	(803) 476-8300	557	51	10.9	71.9%	183 (32.9%)	255 (45.8%)	36 (6.5%)	23 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	57 (10.2%)								(n/a)	50.1			32.9			44.1		95%		$19,497	$596	$695	$1,290	$15,053	$1,863	$18,207
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	57.0%	382 (48.3%)	242 (30.6%)	98 (12.4%)	11 (1.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (7.0%)	50.3	157^th of 341 public middle schools	54.0%		46.9	154^th of 321 public middle schools	52.0%	3	67.9	57.0	54.8	45.9	31.2	26.1	54.0		96%		$15,357	$849	$459	$1,308	$12,474	$1,575	$14,049
Northside Middle	Public	6-8	157 Cougar Drive	West Columbia	29169	Lexington County	Lexington 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 739-4190	528	43	12.2	84.5%	124 (23.5%)	129 (24.4%)	240 (45.5%)	10 (1.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.4%)	26.1	255^th of 341 public middle schools	25.2%		29.1	234^th of 321 public middle schools	27.1%	21	38.7	45.6	52.8	17.8	17.3	38.2	41.8		≥ 96%		$19,874	$469	$4,651	$5,120	$12,570	$2,185	$14,755
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%)	45.5	175^th of 341 public middle schools	48.7%		42.7	175^th of 321 public middle schools	45.5%		43.3	51.8	53.9	33.1	36.7	56.2	49.4		≥ 96%		$15,868	$636	$972	$1,608	$12,166	$2,094	$14,260

Frequently Asked Questions about Lakeside Middle

What is the racial makeup of Lakeside Middle?

Students at Lakeside Middle are 71% White, 11% African American, 8% Asian, 6% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Lakeside Middle in?

Lexington 01

Is Lakeside Middle a good school?

Yes. Lakeside Middle ranks in the top 6.2% of South Carolina middle schools.

How many students attend Lakeside Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 893 students attended Lakeside Middle.

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2024–25 through 2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 20, 2026

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

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.