Hemingway MB Lee Middle

Hemingway MB Lee Middle is a small school in Hemingway, SC, serving 131 students in grades 6-8 within the Williamsburg 01 district, where nearly all students come from economically disadvantaged households.

This school has shown remarkable recent progress. After ranking in the bottom 4% of South Carolina middle schools in 2021-2022, it has climbed to the 24th percentile by 2025-2026—a 20-point improvement in just four years. The most recent school year brought across-the-board gains, with 6th grade ELA proficiency reaching 51.2% and 8th grade math jumping to 34.2%, both now exceeding district averages. Per-student spending also more than doubled to $20,289 in 2024-2025, which may be fueling these improvements. The school now outperforms nearby Carvers Bay Middle STEAM Academy in most subjects, though it still trails Johnsonville Middle by 15-25 percentage points in proficiency rates.

Two challenges stand out. First, chronic absenteeism is a serious concern at 41.1%—nearly double the state average and significantly higher than Carvers Bay's 23.7%. Second, math proficiency remains persistently low, with 6th grade math at just 24.4% in 2025-2026 compared to the state average of 39.4%. The school's small size also means year-to-year scores can swing dramatically based on individual class cohorts. Despite these hurdles, the positive trajectory—especially the strong gains for African American students, who now rank in the top third of schools statewide—suggests targeted investments are beginning to pay off. With a favorable 10:1 student-teacher ratio, this school offers an intimate learning environment that appears to be turning a corner.