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Castle Heights Middle

Q: Is Castle Heights Middle a good school?

Castle Heights Middle ranks 207 th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

207^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 341 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 39% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

Castle Heights Middle in Rock Hill, SC, serves 669 students in grades 6 through 8 and is part of the York 03 school district, which ranks in the middle of South Carolina districts.

Castle Heights presents a striking contrast in its math programs. The school's advanced math track is a standout success: on the Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam, 91.67% of students scored proficient in 2024-2025, far exceeding district (77.16%) and state (73.95%) averages. This performance rivals top schools in the neighboring York 04 district, such as Gold Hill Middle and Fort Mill Middle. However, standard 8th-grade math tells a different story—only 38.2% of students were proficient in 2025-2026, below both district and state averages, and the gap was even wider the prior year (13.6% vs. 32.4% statewide). This suggests that while top-tier students thrive, the general math population struggles significantly. English Language Arts proficiency has also declined recently, dropping from 59.2% to 44.9% in 6th grade between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026.

Chronic absenteeism is a major concern, with 24.2% of students missing significant school time—the highest among comparable area middle schools like Dutchman Creek Middle (14.7%) and Saluda Trail Middle (12.9%). This persistent issue likely contributes to lower overall academic performance. Notably, Castle Heights spends $15,533 per student—more than many higher-performing peers—yet outcomes don't reflect that investment. The school ranks in the 39th percentile statewide, the lowest among its immediate district peers. While the advanced math program demonstrates what's possible, the combination of high absenteeism, declining ELA scores, and underperformance in standard math suggests resources may not be reaching the students who need them most.

669

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,533

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2382 Firetower Road
Rock Hill, SC 29730

(803) 981-1400

District: York 03

Students who attend Castle Heights Middle usually attend:

High:

Rock Hill High

Feeder schools for Castle Heights Middle:

Elementary:	Independence Elementary
	Lesslie Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.4%

African American:

30.6%

Hispanic:

15.5%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare Castle Heights Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 50th percentile in 2016 → 39th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (43% vs 51% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school43%

District avg45%

South Carolina avg51%

207^th of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 39%▼ down 11 pts since 2016

From top 50% (2016) to bottom 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Middle Schools in the York 03

30^th of 75York 03 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	39.1	207 of 341	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.2	176 of 321	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.3	192 of 322	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.8	210 of 325	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.3	192 of 310	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.7	161 of 311	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.8	166 of 315	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.0	138 of 303	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	62.8	100 of 317	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.9	151 of 303	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	46.1	157 of 301	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	39.3	186 of 291	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	56.1	131 of 276	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	64.0	107 of 271	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	66.9	94 of 269	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	67.3	87 of 261	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	65.1	96 of 249	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	58.1	120 of 244	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	52.1	128 of 236	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	57.1	110 of 231	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2005	50.9	123 of 230	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2004	42.2	143 of 230	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2003	54.0	110 of 225	51.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.1	164 of 258	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.9	184 of 251	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.8	189 of 246	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.1	189 of 253	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.2	135 of 249	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.2	93 of 235	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.7	80 of 252	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.6	81 of 237	65.8%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.8	120 of 192	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.8	81 of 184	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.5	95 of 177	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.9	141 of 187	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.0	107 of 183	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.8	150 of 164	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	53.2	70 of 195	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.3	55 of 194	71.6%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	49.7	43 of 110	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.2	55 of 104	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.8	27 of 93	71.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.5	171 of 310	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	52.0	125 of 295	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.2	183 of 293	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	187 of 299	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.1	190 of 290	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.4	152 of 279	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.5	128 of 296	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.0	108 of 281	61.6%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.5	62 of 197	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	67.7	57 of 173	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.3	98 of 184	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.9	120 of 185	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.2	126 of 182	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.4	146 of 179	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.3	103 of 159	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.8	91 of 156	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.1	75 of 144	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.0	86 of 141	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.1	62 of 129	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.5	63 of 139	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.0	44 of 123	64.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.6	210 of 325	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.7	166 of 308	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.5	179 of 304	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.1	224 of 313	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.7	197 of 300	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.8	112 of 288	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.3	134 of 289	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.0	113 of 280	59.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.9	208 of 310	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.1	209 of 298	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.2	179 of 292	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.2	202 of 303	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.3	186 of 292	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.9	145 of 279	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.4	193 of 296	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.7	160 of 284	43.7%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.0	50 of 65	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	69.0	12 of 63	81.0%	★★★★☆
2024	43.1	30 of 52	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.5	173 of 271	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.0	161 of 259	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.1	163 of 256	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.0	200 of 260	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.1	189 of 249	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.7	163 of 244	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.8	190 of 258	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.1	149 of 250	40.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)69th percentile+29 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)61st percentile+16 vs school

Female (2026)45th percentile+6 vs school

Disabled (2026)38th percentile~ school

African American (2026)36th percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)36th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)35th percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)35th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)33rd percentile-6 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)23rd percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts48%-11 vs state

Science45%-7 vs state

Mathematics38%-4 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Monday, May 6, 2019

This school is the worst I have ever worked in. The students are constantly cussing and bribing me for "A's". I have had a huge problem with ants this year because of the kids' eating habits. The school never has any exciting events which makes working here quite boring. Close Quote

Schools Near Castle Heights 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)	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (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 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	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	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
Castle Heights Middle	Public	6-8	2382 Firetower Road	Rock Hill	29730	York County	York 03	No	No	No	No	(803) 981-1400	669	48	13.9	100.0%	257 (38.4%)	205 (30.6%)	104 (15.5%)	12 (1.8%)	26 (3.9%)	1 (0.1%)	64 (9.6%)	39.1	207^th of 341 public middle schools	39.3%		42.2	176^th of 321 public middle schools	45.2%	31		44.9	54.4	44.1		38.3	37.4	38.2	45.1		$15,533	$610	$770	$1,380	$12,358	$1,795	$14,153
Saluda Trail Middle	Public	6-8	2300 Saluda Road	Rock Hill	29730	York County	York 03	No	No	No	No	(803) 981-1800	751	54	13.9	100.0%	217 (28.9%)	425 (56.6%)	59 (7.9%)	7 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (5.5%)	41.8	192^nd of 341 public middle schools	43.7%		48.1	150^th of 321 public middle schools	53.3%	42		45.6	55.8	56.4		29.0	35.4	43.5	41.0		$15,224	$590	$862	$1,452	$11,818	$1,954	$13,772
W. C. Sullivan Middle	Public	6-8	1825 Eden Terrace	Rock Hill	29730	York County	York 03	No	No	No	No	(803) 981-1450	827	64	12.9	62.2%	337 (40.7%)	229 (27.7%)	200 (24.2%)	17 (2.1%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (5.1%)	46.4	170^th of 341 public middle schools	50.1%		52.7	132^nd of 321 public middle schools	58.9%	38		54.3	56.1	55.5		34.7	39.2	39.4	45.2		$15,281	$381	$801	$1,183	$12,364	$1,734	$14,098
Forest Creek Middle	Public	6-8	2212 Whites Road	Fort Mill	29715	York County	York 04	No	No	No	No	(803) 396-3450	757	56	13.5	11.8%	519 (68.6%)	64 (8.5%)	74 (9.8%)	59 (7.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (5.3%)	96.8	15^th of 341 public middle schools	95.6%		97.3	9^th of 321 public middle schools	97.2%	6		83.1	88.0	80.9		75.6	76.7	74.7	86.6		$13,272	$439	$347	$786	$10,921	$1,565	$12,486
Banks Trail Middle	Public	6-8	1640 Banks Road	Fort Mill	29715	York County	York 04	No	No	No	No	(803) 578-2990	638	52	12.2	36.7%	378 (59.2%)	84 (13.2%)	62 (9.7%)	61 (9.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (8.2%)	91.1	23^rd of 341 public middle schools	93.3%		92.7	20^th of 321 public middle schools	93.8%	3		74.8	73.5	78.5		61.5	66.7	75.0	74.7		$14,056	$745	$402	$1,147	$11,275	$1,634	$12,909
Rawlinson Road Middle	Public	6-8	2631 West Main Street	Rock Hill	29732	York County	York 03	No	No	No	No	(803) 981-1500	644	48	13.4	100.0%	196 (30.4%)	314 (48.8%)	97 (15.1%)	7 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (4.3%)	42.4	188^th of 341 public middle schools	44.9%		34	209^th of 321 public middle schools	34.9%	21		57.5	44.9	37.6		35.8	40.6	30.2	58.8		$15,600	$514	$882	$1,395	$12,472	$1,733	$14,205
Indian Land Middle	Public	7-8	8361 Charlotte Highway	Indian Land	29707	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 578-2500	1,102	64	17.2	27.8%	580 (52.6%)	129 (11.7%)	246 (22.3%)	98 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	48 (4.4%)	88.1	36^th of 341 public middle schools	89.4%		82.4	49^th of 321 public middle schools	84.7%	13			75.3	74.2			66.1	60.4			$11,377	$335	$142	$477	$8,830	$2,070	$10,900
Indian Land Intermediate	Public	5-6	8361 Charlotte Highway	Indian Land	29707	Lancaster County	Lancaster 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 547-3600	1,181	72	16.4	21.2%	703 (59.5%)	140 (11.9%)	138 (11.7%)	120 (10.2%)	7 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (6.2%)								(n/a)	80.2	79.1			75.7	71.6			79.5		$10,670	$259	$128	$387	$8,867	$1,416	$10,283
Fort Mill Middle	Public	6-8	200 Springfield Parkway	Fort Mill	29715	York County	York 04	No	No	No	No	(803) 547-5553	620	51	12.1	32.0%	365 (58.9%)	84 (13.5%)	85 (13.7%)	56 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.8%)	91.1	22^nd of 341 public middle schools	93.5%		93.6	17^th of 321 public middle schools	94.7%	5		73.1	77.1	79.5		64.0	65.3	76.5	69.8		$14,477	$421	$357	$778	$12,051	$1,648	$13,699
Dutchman Creek Middle	Public	6-8	4757 Mount Gallant Road	Rock Hill	29732	York County	York 03	No	No	No	No	(803) 985-1700	856	54	15.8	53.5%	378 (44.2%)	310 (36.2%)	100 (11.7%)	23 (2.7%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (4.9%)	49.8	160^th of 341 public middle schools	53.1%		55.7	127^th of 321 public middle schools	60.4%	33		52.1	50.0	58.4		37.5	43.8	49.5	44.8		$14,242	$426	$834	$1,260	$11,380	$1,602	$12,982

Frequently Asked Questions about Castle Heights Middle

What district is Castle Heights Middle in?

York 03

Is Castle Heights Middle a good school?

Castle Heights Middle ranks 207^th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Castle Heights Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 669 students attended Castle Heights Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Castle Heights Middle?

Students at Castle Heights Middle are 38% White, 31% African American, 16% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 4% American Indian, 2% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Castle Heights Middle attend?

Students who attend Castle Heights Middle usually go on to attend Rock Hill High

Rate Castle Heights 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.