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Pickens Middle

Q: Is Pickens Middle a good school?

Pickens Middle ranks 130 th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

130^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 341 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 62% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

Pickens Middle in Pickens, SC, serves 566 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Pickens 01 district, which ranks 17th out of 75 districts statewide. The school has earned a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger and recently improved its state ranking to the 62nd percentile, up from the 48th percentile the previous year.

The most impressive highlight is the school's Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam performance, where 100% of tested students were proficient in both 2022-2023 and 2024-2025—a full 24 percentage points above the district average. Pickens Middle also showed dramatic year-over-year growth in math proficiency across all grade levels, with 6th-grade math jumping from 28.5% to 47.5% and 8th-grade math rising from 27.2% to 46.6% in a single year. This improvement is particularly notable given that 78-84% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school's Low SES students rank in the 69th percentile statewide, outperforming the school's overall ranking and demonstrating strong support for economically disadvantaged learners. However, chronic absenteeism is a significant concern at 31.2%, well above the district (24.3%) and state (22.3%) averages. This pattern is shared by nearby Dacusville Middle (30.8%) and Liberty Middle (33.1%), but contrasts sharply with R. C. Edwards Middle, which has an 18.8% absenteeism rate and is the top-performing traditional school in the district.

Compared to neighboring districts, Pickens Middle faces distinct challenges. Schools in Anderson 01 like Powdersville Middle and Wren Middle consistently rank in the 80th-90th percentile with absenteeism rates around 12-17%. The school spends $14,353 per student, higher than other district middle schools, yet this doesn't correlate with higher performance. The recent improvement in math scores and overall ranking suggests positive momentum, and addressing chronic absenteeism appears to be the most impactful lever for continued growth.

566

Students ?

14.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,353

Per pupil spending ?

78.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

140 Torch Lane
Pickens, SC 29671

(864) 397-4100

District: Pickens 01

Students who attend Pickens Middle usually attend:

High:

Pickens High

Feeder schools for Pickens Middle:

Elementary:	Ambler Elementary
	Hagood Elementary
	Pickens Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.2%

Hispanic:

9.7%

African American:

4.9%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare Pickens Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 61st percentile in 2016 → 62nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the South Carolina median (62nd percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 22% South Carolina)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

District avg56%

South Carolina avg51%

130^th of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 38%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Middle Schools in the Pickens 01

17^th of 75Pickens 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	57.1	130 of 341	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.6	166 of 321	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.3	150 of 322	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.7	132 of 325	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.4	132 of 310	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.2	117 of 311	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.5	159 of 315	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.7	129 of 303	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	47.7	157 of 317	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	59.5	118 of 303	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	51.0	143 of 301	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	49.4	155 of 291	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	45.5	160 of 276	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	49.7	150 of 271	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	54.8	139 of 269	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	67.8	82 of 261	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	62.3	100 of 249	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	64.9	97 of 244	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	60.7	110 of 236	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	62.1	94 of 231	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	61.5	100 of 230	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	57.2	108 of 230	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2003	73.0	63 of 225	72.0%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.5	89 of 192	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	36.3	118 of 184	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.5	94 of 177	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.2	140 of 187	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	52.8	72 of 183	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.7	89 of 164	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.7	94 of 195	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.0	137 of 194	29.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.1	123 of 310	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.8	145 of 295	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.2	164 of 293	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.9	130 of 299	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.3	121 of 290	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.9	108 of 279	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.1	143 of 296	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.8	103 of 281	63.3%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.1	85 of 197	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.3	115 of 173	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.2	87 of 184	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.8	61 of 185	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.9	70 of 182	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	71.9	36 of 179	79.9%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	27.2	4 of 5	20.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.5	102 of 325	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.7	136 of 308	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.8	115 of 304	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.5	110 of 313	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.1	129 of 300	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.0	78 of 288	72.9%	★★★★☆
2019	54.0	116 of 289	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.6	119 of 280	57.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.4	124 of 310	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.4	175 of 298	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.2	113 of 292	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.3	113 of 303	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.2	126 of 292	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.5	110 of 279	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.7	163 of 296	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.2	158 of 284	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.5	199 of 271	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.7	216 of 259	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.2	198 of 256	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.4	190 of 260	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.6	184 of 249	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.9	159 of 244	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.7	213 of 258	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.3	183 of 250	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)69th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2026)60th percentile~ school

Male (2026)60th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2026)57th percentile-5 vs school

Disabled (2026)54th percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)27th percentile-35 vs school

Homeless (2022)20th percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts57%~ state avg

Science55%+4 vs state

Mathematics44%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Pickens 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
Pickens Middle	Public	6-8	140 Torch Lane	Pickens	29671	Pickens County	Pickens 01	No	No	No	No	(864) 397-4100	566	40	14.1	78.3%	454 (80.2%)	28 (4.9%)	55 (9.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.9%)	57.1	130^th of 341 public middle schools	61.9%		44.6	166^th of 321 public middle schools	48.3%	36	60.3	55.4	56.7	47.5	37.1	46.6	55.4	$14,353	$971	$582	$1,553	$11,189	$1,611	$12,800
Youth Leadership Academy	Public, Charter	6-8	698 Concord Church Road	Pickens	29671	Pickens County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	No	(864) 898-4511	290	19	15.2	17.0%	278 (95.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.1%)	85.4	43^rd of 341 public middle schools	87.4%		85.5	40^th of 321 public middle schools	87.5%	3	72.0	73.0	73.7	60.0	59.0	55.6	72.0	$12,389	$60	$97	$157	$198	$12,034	$12,232
Summit Academy	Public, Charter	6-8	698 Concord Church Road	Pickens	29671	Pickens County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(864) 898-4511	59	6	9.8		51 (86.4%)	1 (1.7%)	3 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (6.8%)	56.9	131^st of 341 public middle schools	61.6%					(n/a)	71.5	57.2	60.5	50.0	30.6	25.6	66.6
Liberty Middle	Public	6-8	125 Falcon Lane	Liberty	29657	Pickens County	Pickens 01	No	No	No	No	(864) 397-3400	458	35	13.2	78.9%	371 (81.0%)	15 (3.3%)	45 (9.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.5%)	56.6	133^rd of 341 public middle schools	61.0%		57	118^th of 321 public middle schools	63.2%	15	49.0	61.2	60.9	44.4	48.8	38.7	55.2	$14,337	$901	$763	$1,663	$11,100	$1,574	$12,673
Richard H. Gettys Middle	Public	6-8	510 South Pendleton Street	Easley	29640	Pickens County	Pickens 01	No	No	No	No	(864) 397-3900	1,217	83	14.6	68.6%	723 (59.4%)	151 (12.4%)	225 (18.5%)	16 (1.3%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	99 (8.1%)	63.6	105^th of 341 public middle schools	69.2%		52.1	134^th of 321 public middle schools	58.3%	29	63.8	62.6	64.4	41.9	42.0	40.0	65.7	$10,709	$682	$517	$1,199	$8,329	$1,181	$9,510
Dacusville Middle	Public	6-8	899 Thomas Mill Road	Easley	29640	Pickens County	Pickens 01	No	No	No	No	(864) 397-3525	356	25	14.2	73.6%	280 (78.7%)	9 (2.5%)	48 (13.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.3%)	47.4	166^th of 341 public middle schools	51.3%		63.4	102^nd of 321 public middle schools	68.2%	64	51.8	57.6	51.2	32.4	28.2	43.9	63.4	$16,338	$893	$562	$1,454	$13,083	$1,801	$14,884
R. C. Edwards Middle	Public	6-8	1157 Madden Bridge Road	Central	29630	Pickens County	Pickens 01	No	No	No	No	(864) 397-4200	835	52	16.2	46.7%	613 (73.4%)	74 (8.9%)	57 (6.8%)	27 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (7.7%)	86	42^nd of 341 public middle schools	87.7%		84.7	43^rd of 321 public middle schools	86.6%	1	66.3	75.6	77.8	58.8	57.4	64.6	69.1	$11,161	$430	$496	$926	$9,055	$1,180	$10,235
Powdersville Middle	Public	6-8	135 Hood Road	Greenville	29611	Greenville County	Anderson 01	No	No	No	No	(864) 269-1821	801	54	14.8	44.2%	575 (71.8%)	64 (8.0%)	91 (11.4%)	25 (3.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	44 (5.5%)	89.2	33^rd of 341 public middle schools	90.3%		90.2	28^th of 321 public middle schools	91.3%	5	73.0	83.0	70.2	60.0	73.9	68.7	67.4	$11,326	$890	$464	$1,354	$8,880	$1,093	$9,973
Tanglewood Middle	Public	6-8	44 Merriwoods Drive	Greenville	29611	Greenville County	Greenville 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 355-4500	652	50	13.0	100.0%	76 (11.7%)	173 (26.5%)	372 (57.1%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (3.7%)	10.1	320^th of 341 public middle schools	6.2%		10.6	303^rd of 321 public middle schools	5.6%	17	35.1	30.0	36.3	15.3	16.8	17.9	26.3	$15,595	$2,538	$793	$3,331	$11,032	$1,233	$12,264
Berea Middle	Public	6-8	151 Berea Middle School Road	Greenville	29617	Greenville County	Greenville 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 355-1700	757	57	13.2	100.0%	93 (12.3%)	243 (32.1%)	382 (50.5%)	4 (0.5%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	29 (3.8%)	19.2	284^th of 341 public middle schools	16.7%		17	271^st of 321 public middle schools	15.6%	13	32.0	41.8	40.6	22.6	23.9	23.0	43.1	$14,208	$2,463	$907	$3,370	$9,716	$1,122	$10,838

Frequently Asked Questions about Pickens Middle

Is Pickens Middle a good school?

Pickens Middle ranks 130^th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Pickens Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 566 students attended Pickens Middle.

What high school do graduates of Pickens Middle attend?

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

What is the racial makeup of Pickens Middle?

Students at Pickens Middle are 80% White, 10% Hispanic, 5% African American, 5% Two or more races.

What district is Pickens Middle in?

Pickens 01

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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.