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Tall Pines STEM Academy

Q: Is Tall Pines STEM Academy a good school?

Tall Pines STEM Academy ranks 69 th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades 5-8

69^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 341 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 80% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

Tall Pines STEM Academy is a public charter school in Aiken, SC, serving 382 students in grades 5 through 8 within the School Public Charter School District. This school stands out as a high-performing option in the region, consistently earning 4-star ratings and ranking in the 80th percentile statewide—66th out of 335 middle schools—while serving a diverse student body.

Academically, Tall Pines delivers results that far exceed state averages. In English Language Arts, proficiency rates range from 66% to 86% across grade levels, compared to state averages of 56-64%. Math proficiency is similarly strong, with rates of 47.8-63% versus state averages of 40.9-49.1%. The school's Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam performance is exceptional, with a 98.09% proficiency rate compared to the state average of 72.5%. When compared to nearby schools, the gap is striking—for 6th grade math, Tall Pines achieves 52.5% proficiency versus 30.1% at Aiken Intermediate and 20.2% at Langley-Bath-Clearwater Middle. The school also excels in attendance, with a 14.4% chronic absenteeism rate compared to 48% at Schofield Middle and 43.6% at Langley-Bath-Clearwater.

Tall Pines operates efficiently, spending $11,482 per student—notably less than schools like Batesburg-Leesville Middle School ($15,262) and Johnston-Edgefield-Trenton Middle ($15,258), which rank far lower. While the school has seen some volatility in 8th grade math and is refining its approach to serving Gifted and Talented students, the most recent data shows promising recovery. For parents seeking a school with strong academics, high attendance, and efficient resource use, Tall Pines STEM Academy is a standout choice in the Aiken area.

382

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,482

Per pupil spending ?

14.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

550 Camp Long Rd
Aiken, SC 29805

(803) 502-1692

District: School Public Charter School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

85.3%

Two or more races:

5.2%

Hispanic:

5.0%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare Tall Pines STEM Academy to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 90th percentile in 2019 → 80th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Carolina average (64% vs 52% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of South Carolina middle schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2019

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school64%

District avg50%

South Carolina avg52%

69^th of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 20%▼ down 11 pts since 2019

From top 10% (2019) to top 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Middle Schools in the School Public Charter School District

31^st of 75School Public Charter School District 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	76.7	69 of 341	79.8%	★★★★☆
2025	74.0	71 of 321	77.9%	★★★★☆
2024	76.9	65 of 322	79.8%	★★★★☆
2023	83.7	49 of 325	84.9%	★★★★☆
2022	88.9	29 of 310	90.6%	★★★★★
2021	84.4	41 of 311	86.8%	★★★★☆
2019	90.0	30 of 315	90.5%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.5	107 of 310	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	76.2	58 of 295	80.3%	★★★★☆
2024	82.0	45 of 293	84.6%	★★★★☆
2023	87.6	28 of 299	90.6%	★★★★★
2022	93.4	16 of 290	94.5%	★★★★★
2021	91.3	22 of 279	92.1%	★★★★★
2019	86.8	36 of 296	87.8%	★★★★☆
2018	86.6	30 of 281	89.3%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.7	78 of 197	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.4	133 of 173	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	52.0	118 of 184	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.1	90 of 185	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.4	98 of 179	45.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	72.1	72 of 325	77.8%	★★★★☆
2025	51.3	129 of 308	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.9	66 of 304	78.3%	★★★★☆
2023	73.1	68 of 313	78.3%	★★★★☆
2021	89.5	20 of 288	93.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	82.0	44 of 310	85.8%	★★★★☆
2025	71.4	74 of 298	75.2%	★★★★☆
2024	71.1	70 of 292	76.0%	★★★★☆
2023	77.1	61 of 303	79.9%	★★★★☆
2022	80.8	52 of 292	82.2%	★★★★☆
2021	71.9	66 of 279	76.3%	★★★★☆
2019	91.1	27 of 296	90.9%	★★★★★
2018	79.7	47 of 284	83.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.8	119 of 271	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.5	104 of 259	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.8	103 of 256	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.2	70 of 260	73.1%	★★★★☆
2022	73.7	57 of 249	77.1%	★★★★☆
2021	64.5	82 of 244	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.7	69 of 258	73.3%	★★★★☆
2018	63.5	87 of 250	65.2%	★★★☆☆

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)

Male (2026)86th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)78th percentile~ school

Female (2026)65th percentile-14 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)60th percentile-19 vs school

White (2026)56th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts75%+15 vs state

Science60%+8 vs state

Mathematics54%+10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Tall Pines STEM Academy

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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 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	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
Tall Pines STEM Academy	Public, Charter	5-8	550 Camp Long Rd	Aiken	29805	Aiken County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	No	(803) 502-1692	382	25	15.2	14.4%	326 (85.3%)	15 (3.9%)	19 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	20 (5.2%)	76.7	69^th of 341 public middle schools	79.8%		74	71^st of 321 public middle schools	77.9%	2	86.0	72.7	66.0	74.2	63.0	52.5	53.0	47.8	59.6	$11,482	$60	$236	$296	$186	$11,001	$11,186
Aiken Intermediate	Public	6	101 Gator Lane	Aiken	29801	Aiken County	Aiken 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 641-2570	427	26	16.7	100.0%	155 (36.3%)	189 (44.3%)	53 (12.4%)	6 (1.4%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.9%)								(n/a)		51.0				30.1			53.2	$10,621	$882	$927	$1,808	$7,946	$866	$8,812
Schofield Middle	Public	7-8	224 Kershaw Street Northeast	Aiken	29801	Aiken County	Aiken 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 641-2770	356	26	13.6	100.0%	76 (21.3%)	208 (58.4%)	52 (14.6%)	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.9%)	17.6	294^th of 341 public middle schools	13.8%		14.8	281^st of 321 public middle schools	12.5%	13			37.8	43.9			20.6	27.5		$14,127	$617	$1,270	$1,888	$10,793	$1,446	$12,239
M. B. Kennedy Middle	Public	6-8	274 East Pine Log Road	Aiken	29803	Aiken County	Aiken 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 641-2470	643	34	19.0	66.6%	285 (44.3%)	221 (34.4%)	89 (13.8%)	6 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (6.2%)	41.6	195^th of 341 public middle schools	42.8%		40.8	183^rd of 321 public middle schools	43.0%	12			55.2	57.0			34.0	32.4		$12,016	$723	$1,169	$1,892	$9,051	$1,073	$10,124
Leavelle McCampbell Middle	Public	6-8	1120 Weldon Way	Graniteville	29829	Aiken County	Aiken 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 663-4300	540	26	20.7	72.6%	207 (38.3%)	194 (35.9%)	99 (18.3%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (6.1%)	32.5	228^th of 341 public middle schools	33.1%		27.2	243^rd of 321 public middle schools	24.3%	15		50.3	55.2	43.1		32.3	25.8	17.0	47.1	$11,195	$568	$1,188	$1,756	$8,443	$997	$9,440
A. L. Corbett Middle	Public	6-8	10 A L Corbett Circle	Wagener	29164	Aiken County	Aiken 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 564-1050	203	15	13.5	100.0%	85 (41.9%)	84 (41.4%)	14 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (9.9%)	20.5	279^th of 341 public middle schools	18.2%		20.3	261^st of 321 public middle schools	18.7%	18		41.3	48.5	36.9		24.0	17.7	22.7	41.4	$9,755	$190	$827	$1,018	$6,664	$2,073	$8,737
Batesburg-Leesville Middle School	Public	6-8	425 Shealy Road	Batesburg-Leesville	29006	Lexington County	Lexington 03	No	No	No	No	(803) 532-3831	462	33	14.0	100.0%	227 (49.1%)	122 (26.4%)	91 (19.7%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.9%)	45.8	173^rd of 341 public middle schools	49.3%		41.4	178^th of 321 public middle schools	44.5%	5		53.6	60.7	53.7		34.0	44.8	23.1	50.0	$15,262	$979	$1,037	$2,016	$11,425	$1,822	$13,246
Johnston-Edgefield-Trenton Middle	Public	6-8	1095 Columbia Road	Johnston	29832	Edgefield County	Edgefield 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 275-1997	394	32	12.3	79.0%	133 (33.8%)	194 (49.2%)	45 (11.4%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.1%)	30.7	237^th of 341 public middle schools	30.5%		34.3	206^th of 321 public middle schools	35.8%	31		39.8	54.2	59.6		19.2	35.6	29.3	31.9	$15,258	$976	$827	$1,803	$11,650	$1,805	$13,455
Langley-Bath-Clearwater Middle	Public	6-8	29 Lions Trail	Warrenville	29851	Aiken County	Aiken 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 593-7260	476	29	16.4	100.0%	238 (50.0%)	109 (22.9%)	105 (22.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.6%)	22	271^st of 341 public middle schools	20.5%		22.7	254^th of 321 public middle schools	20.9%	17		36.7	47.3	49.3		20.2	19.9	26.8	38.6	$12,604	$1,248	$1,067	$2,315	$9,201	$1,088	$10,289
New Ellenton STEAM Magnet Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	814 Main Street South	New Ellenton	29809	Aiken County	Aiken 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 652-8200	274	21	13.0	75.3%	114 (41.6%)	83 (30.3%)	57 (20.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.9%)	48.7	163^rd of 341 public middle schools	52.2%		46	158^th of 321 public middle schools	50.8%	5		58.5	48.3	68.3		39.1	27.0	27.0	63.4	$14,677	$632	$1,229	$1,861	$11,551	$1,265	$12,816

Frequently Asked Questions about Tall Pines STEM Academy

Is Tall Pines STEM Academy a good school?

Tall Pines STEM Academy ranks 69^th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Tall Pines STEM Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 382 students attended Tall Pines STEM Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Tall Pines STEM Academy?

Students at Tall Pines STEM Academy are 85% White, 5% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 4% African American.

What district is Tall Pines STEM Academy in?

School Public Charter School District

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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.