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R. H. Fulmer Middle

Q: Is R. H. Fulmer Middle a good school?

R. H. Fulmer Middle ranks 175 th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

175^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 341 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 49% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

R. H. Fulmer Middle in West Columbia, SC, serves 526 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Lexington 02 school district, and it stands out as the highest-performing middle school in its district despite serving a student body where 100% of families qualify for free or reduced lunch.

The school's most impressive achievement is its perfect 100% proficiency rate on the Algebra 1 End-of-Course Examination for three consecutive years—a feat that matches elite schools like Lakeside Middle and Meadow Glen Middle in the nearby Lexington 01 district, which serve far more affluent communities. This suggests the school has built an exceptionally effective advanced math pathway. R. H. Fulmer also outperforms its district averages in every subject and grade level, with particularly strong results in 8th grade math (56.2% proficiency vs. the district's 42.4%). The school has shown remarkable effectiveness with students with disabilities, jumping from the 31st percentile statewide to the 72nd percentile in just two years, and it ranks in the top 12% of schools serving multi-racial students.

However, the school faces real challenges. Chronic absenteeism sits at 26.8%, well above the state average of 22.3%, and the school ranks in the bottom 14th percentile for serving its gifted and talented students—a puzzling contrast to its advanced math success. While R. H. Fulmer has declined from its former top-quartile status a decade ago, it remains the clear leader within Lexington 02, outperforming Northside Middle, Pine Ridge Middle, and Cyril B. Busbee Creative Arts Academy in nearly every subject. The school also operates efficiently, spending less per student ($15,079) than its lower-performing district peers while achieving better results. Recent improvements in serving male students, English Language Learners, and low-income students suggest a school that is actively working to meet the needs of its entire community.

526

Students ?

11.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,079

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1614 Walterboro St.
West Columbia, SC 29170

(803) 822-5660

District: Lexington 02

Students who attend R. H. Fulmer Middle usually attend:

High:

Airport High

Feeder schools for R. H. Fulmer Middle:

Elementary:	Congaree Elementary
	Springdale Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

42.0%

African American:

33.5%

Hispanic:

17.5%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare R. H. Fulmer Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 69th percentile in 2016 → 49th in 2026

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Lexington 02

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg39%

South Carolina avg51%

175^th of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 49%▼ down 21 pts since 2016

From top 31% (2016) to bottom 49% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Middle Schools in the Lexington 02

52^nd of 75Lexington 02 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	45.5	175 of 341	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.7	175 of 321	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.1	189 of 322	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.3	167 of 325	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.5	166 of 310	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.1	137 of 311	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.1	110 of 315	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.6	97 of 303	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	67.2	86 of 317	72.9%	★★★★☆
2016	65.2	93 of 303	69.3%	★★★★☆
2015	67.5	76 of 301	74.8%	★★★★☆
2014	62.4	105 of 291	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	65.3	95 of 276	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	69.5	86 of 271	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	75.0	58 of 269	78.4%	★★★★☆
2010	63.7	102 of 261	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	67.1	89 of 249	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	63.3	108 of 244	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	65.4	94 of 236	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	67.2	83 of 231	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2005	72.3	64 of 230	72.2%	★★★★☆
2004	70.9	72 of 230	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2003	74.1	60 of 225	73.3%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.4	133 of 258	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.2	122 of 251	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.5	137 of 246	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.8	103 of 253	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.8	102 of 249	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.5	67 of 235	71.5%	★★★★☆
2019	59.7	76 of 252	69.8%	★★★★☆
2018	72.6	35 of 237	85.2%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.1	54 of 192	71.9%	★★★★☆
2025	53.9	70 of 184	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.4	124 of 177	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	63.0	45 of 187	75.9%	★★★★☆
2022	38.0	109 of 183	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.0	144 of 164	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.3	72 of 195	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.1	27 of 194	86.1%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.2	63 of 113	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.3	87 of 110	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.3	85 of 104	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	65.6	34 of 117	70.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.0	194 of 310	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.5	165 of 295	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.4	163 of 293	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.5	160 of 299	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.4	169 of 290	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.3	132 of 279	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.2	95 of 296	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.6	97 of 281	65.5%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.9	171 of 197	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.1	138 of 173	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.1	145 of 184	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.5	144 of 185	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.3	147 of 182	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	59.3	87 of 179	51.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.5	94 of 159	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.2	104 of 156	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.2	78 of 144	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.3	63 of 141	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.8	61 of 129	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.6	63 of 111	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.8	59 of 139	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.9	79 of 123	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.5	143 of 325	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.1	124 of 308	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.5	180 of 304	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.8	132 of 313	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.1	124 of 300	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.0	90 of 288	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.3	69 of 289	76.1%	★★★★☆
2018	70.4	60 of 280	78.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.7	135 of 310	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.3	170 of 298	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.9	180 of 292	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.2	159 of 303	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.7	143 of 292	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.2	122 of 279	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.3	120 of 296	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.5	94 of 284	66.9%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	84.7	8 of 65	87.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.3	160 of 271	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.9	145 of 259	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.0	175 of 256	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.7	158 of 260	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.7	175 of 249	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.8	126 of 244	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.8	118 of 258	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.6	104 of 250	58.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

Multi-racial (2026)88th percentile+39 vs school

Disabled (2026)72nd percentile+23 vs school

Male (2026)56th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)56th percentile+7 vs school

African American (2026)48th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)44th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)41st percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2026)41st percentile-8 vs school

Female (2026)37th percentile-11 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)13th percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts50%-9 vs state

Science49%-3 vs state

Mathematics42%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near R. H. Fulmer 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 (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 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	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
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	100.0%	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	$15,079	$689	$1,316	$2,005	$10,905	$2,170	$13,074
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	100.0%	113 (29.8%)	139 (36.7%)	108 (28.5%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.7%)	17.6	293^rd of 341 public middle schools	14.1%		15.4	278^th of 321 public middle schools	13.4%	15	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
Cyril B. Busbee Creative Arts Academy	Public, Magnet	6-8	501 Bulldog Boulevard	Cayce	29033	Lexington County	Lexington 02	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 739-4070	442	35	12.6	100.0%	128 (29.0%)	161 (36.4%)	102 (23.1%)	21 (4.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.3%)	29.8	244^th of 341 public middle schools	28.4%		29.5	232^nd of 321 public middle schools	27.7%	12	39.5	45.3	47.6	20.6	29.5	44.1	42.8	$16,055	$1,248	$1,134	$2,382	$11,314	$2,359	$13,673
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	$16,360	$547	$1,527	$2,074	$11,997	$2,290	$14,286
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	$15,279	$823	$476	$1,299	$12,400	$1,580	$13,980
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	$15,868	$1,026	$375	$1,401	$12,878	$1,589	$14,468
St. Andrews Middle	Public	6-8	1231 Bluefield Road	Columbia	29210	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 731-8910	627	58	10.8	100.0%	17 (2.7%)	523 (83.4%)	46 (7.3%)	11 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (4.6%)	9.5	323^rd of 341 public middle schools	5.3%		9.7	307^th of 321 public middle schools	4.4%	16	32.6	36.7	35.2	13.3	16.4	18.5	23.5	$18,051	$2,156	$1,651	$3,808	$11,942	$2,301	$14,244
Hand Middle	Public	6-8	2600 Wheat Street	Columbia	29205	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 343-2947	755	61	12.3	100.0%	232 (30.7%)	388 (51.4%)	82 (10.9%)	7 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	44 (5.8%)	52.2	148^th of 341 public middle schools	56.6%		49.1	149^th of 321 public middle schools	53.6%	1	62.4	64.3	56.3	39.1	33.5	40.1	44.6	$18,872	$1,401	$1,133	$2,534	$13,897	$2,441	$16,338
Heyward Gibbes Middle	Public	6-8	500 Summerlea Drive	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 343-2942	252	26	9.8	100.0%	4 (1.6%)	227 (90.1%)	13 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.2%)	15.3	305^th of 341 public middle schools	10.6%		11.9	297^th of 321 public middle schools	7.5%	8	32.4	46.5	37.2	17.3	11.3	30.8	27.5	$28,273	$2,597	$1,973	$4,569	$19,307	$4,397	$23,704
W. A. Perry Middle	Public	6-8	2600 Barhamville Road	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 256-6347	320	32	10.0	100.0%	2 (0.6%)	289 (90.3%)	11 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.6%)	12.9	313^th of 341 public middle schools	8.2%		13.4	290^th of 321 public middle schools	9.7%	23	26.6	47.7	46.5	14.0	14.4	17.0	18.5	$30,818	$3,082	$2,054	$5,136	$19,110	$6,573	$25,683

Frequently Asked Questions about R. H. Fulmer Middle

What is the racial makeup of R. H. Fulmer Middle?

Students at R. H. Fulmer Middle are 42% White, 33% African American, 17% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

What district is R. H. Fulmer Middle in?

Lexington 02

What high school do graduates of R. H. Fulmer Middle attend?

Students who attend R. H. Fulmer Middle usually go on to attend Airport High

How many students attend R. H. Fulmer Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 526 students attended R. H. Fulmer Middle.

Is R. H. Fulmer Middle a good school?

R. H. Fulmer Middle ranks 175^th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate R. H. Fulmer 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.