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Lakewood High

Q: Is Lakewood High a good school?

Lakewood High ranks 177 th of 248 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

177^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 248 South Carolina High Schools

Better than 29% of South Carolina high schools

Summary

Lakewood High is a public high school in Sumter, SC, serving approximately 1,013 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Sumter 01 school district. The school has been on a remarkable upward trajectory, climbing from a near-bottom state ranking of 225th (0 stars) in 2023-2024 to 176th (1 star) in 2025-2026—a dramatic improvement that places it solidly in the mid-tier of South Carolina high schools.

Academically, Lakewood shows clear strengths and areas for growth. The school's English 1 proficiency rate (53.87%) is the highest among all nearby comparable schools, outperforming Crestwood High (51.08%), Sumter High School (42.47%), and Manning High (32.26%). However, Algebra 1 proficiency (37.93%) lags behind the district average (44.89%) and is only slightly below Sumter High (39.52%). The most striking data point is the Gifted and Talented program, which went from ranking dead last in the state in 2022-2023 to #1 in the state (99th percentile, 5 stars) in 2024-2025—a stunning turnaround suggesting exceptional support for the school's highest-achieving students.

Despite these academic gains, chronic absenteeism remains the school's most critical barrier. At 43.9%, Lakewood's chronic absenteeism rate is nearly double the state average (22.3%) and significantly higher than the district average (35.9%). This likely contributes to the school's graduation rate of 74.1%, which is the lowest in the region—well below East Clarendon Middle-High (94.8%), Sumter High (83.6%), and Crestwood (78.8%). The comparison to East Clarendon, just 19.8 miles away in the Clarendon 06 district, is particularly telling: that school serves a similar rural population but achieves dramatically better outcomes with a 4-star rating. Lakewood spends $13,280 per student—comparable to or higher than nearby schools—suggesting that targeted interventions to improve attendance and graduation rates, rather than additional funding, could unlock even greater gains for this improving school.

1,013

Students ?

17.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,652

Per pupil spending ?

74.5%

Directly certified for free meals (2023-24) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2023-24)

350 Old Manning Road
Sumter, SC 29150

(803) 506-2700

District: Sumter 01

Feeder schools for Lakewood High:

Elementary:	Manchester Elementary
	Pocalla Springs Elementary
Middle:	Furman Middle

Racial breakdown:

African American:

58.8%

White:

29.8%

Hispanic:

6.1%

See top rated South Carolina high schools

Compare Lakewood High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 12th percentile in 2016 → 29th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 17 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (59% vs 69% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the South Carolina average (78% vs 87%)

!High chronic absenteeism (46% vs 21% South Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school59%

District avg58%

South Carolina avg69%

177^th of 248

South Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 29%▲ up 17 pts since 2016

From bottom 12% (2016) to bottom 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3High Schools in the Sumter 01

67^th of 75Sumter 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	30.6	177 of 248	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.8	189 of 240	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.6	231 of 243	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.6	215 of 237	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.7	210 of 226	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.3	187 of 227	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	7.9	210 of 225	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.5	203 of 216	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.3	212 of 223	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	15.7	204 of 231	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	13.4	214 of 232	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	14.5	187 of 210	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.8	139 of 200	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.8	138 of 196	29.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	11.6	187 of 197	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.3	188 of 199	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.4	183 of 190	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	24.6	145 of 178	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.0	178 of 184	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.2	175 of 183	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.3	85 of 136	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	15.3	130 of 140	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.4	138 of 147	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.6	135 of 141	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.9	139 of 139	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.7	99 of 115	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	8.4	140 of 143	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.0	133 of 137	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.4	190 of 229	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.2	177 of 229	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.7	216 of 231	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.8	211 of 223	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.4	212 of 220	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.8	195 of 213	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.9	205 of 213	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.2	199 of 210	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	74.2	1 of 154	99.4%	★★★★★
2024	0.0	158 of 158	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	0.0	156 of 156	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.5	164 of 241	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.3	186 of 230	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.1	220 of 235	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.8	210 of 226	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.8	206 of 220	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.3	172 of 213	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	7.8	213 of 217	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.5	205 of 214	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.2	140 of 233	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	17.8	197 of 228	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.2	225 of 234	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.5	208 of 229	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.0	207 of 224	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	24.5	159 of 215	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	8.6	203 of 218	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.9	200 of 213	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.1	155 of 203	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.0	172 of 200	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	4.0	199 of 202	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.1	192 of 197	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.9	190 of 192	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.6	177 of 189	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.8	185 of 191	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.3	183 of 185	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)99th percentile+78 vs school

Male (2026)40th percentile+11 vs school

Disabled (2026)38th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)32nd percentile+3 vs school

African American (2026)30th percentile~ school

White (2026)24th percentile-5 vs school

Female (2026)17th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English 270%-13 vs state

U.S. History and the Constitution55%-7 vs state

Biology 1/Applied Biology 254%-7 vs state

Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 238%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lakewood High

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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)	EOCEP Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 (2026)	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution (2026)	EOCEP English 2 (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
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	Directly certified (2023-24)	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	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	EOCEP Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 End of Course	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution End of Course	EOCEP English 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
Lakewood High	Public	9-12	350 Old Manning Road	Sumter	29150	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 506-2700	1,013	58	17.4	74.5%	302 (29.8%)	596 (58.8%)	62 (6.1%)	6 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.5%)	41 (4.0%)	30.6	177^th of 248 public high schools	28.6%		22.8	189^th of 240 public high schools	21.3%	12								37.9	53.9	55.2	70.4	$14,652	$794	$1,638	$2,432	$10,524	$1,696	$12,220
Sumter High School	Public	9-12	2580 McCrays Mill Road	Sumter	29154	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 481-4480	2,122	125	17.0	65.4%	544 (25.6%)	1,326 (62.5%)	156 (7.4%)	40 (1.9%)	4 (0.2%)	6 (0.3%)	46 (2.2%)	27	188^th of 248 public high schools	24.2%		24.2	185^th of 240 public high schools	22.9%	3								39.5	42.5	57.2	73.5	$14,683	$841	$1,425	$2,266	$10,667	$1,750	$12,417
Sumter Career and Technology Center	Public	9-12	2612 McCray's Mill Road	Sumter	29154	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 481-8575	0	17	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Crestwood High	Public	9-12	2000 Oswego Road	Sumter	29153	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 469-6200	1,105	57	19.3	69.2%	190 (17.2%)	789 (71.4%)	67 (6.1%)	6 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (4.7%)	28.3	186^th of 248 public high schools	25.0%		13.5	217^th of 240 public high schools	9.6%	31									51.1	53.5	70.8	$13,566	$767	$1,711	$2,478	$9,418	$1,671	$11,089
F. E. Dubose Career Center	Public	9-12	3351 Sumter Highway	Manning	29102	Clarendon County	Clarendon 06	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(803) 473-2531	0	11	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Manning High	Public	9-12	2155 Paxville Highway	Manning	29102	Clarendon County	Clarendon 06	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(803) 435-4417	741	38	19.6	88.0%	175 (23.6%)	497 (67.1%)	44 (5.9%)	9 (1.2%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	12 (1.6%)	15.8	224^th of 248 public high schools	9.7%		25.5	184^th of 240 public high schools	23.3%	40								42.9	32.3	40.1	73.3	$13,635	$1,275	$798	$2,073	$9,888	$1,674	$11,563
Turbeville High	Public	9-12	1578 Clarence Coker Highway	Turbeville	29162	Clarendon County	Dept Of Correction N04	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 896-3178	55	9	6.1	—	12 (21.8%)	39 (70.9%)	4 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Scott's Branch High	Public	9-12	9253 Alex Harvin Highway	Summerton	29148	Clarendon County	Clarendon 06	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(803) 574-2100	197	16	12.1	91.5%	12 (6.1%)	174 (88.3%)	9 (4.6%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	20.8	210^th of 248 public high schools	15.3%		5.1	233^rd of 240 public high schools	2.9%	23								57.5	36.1	30.4	73.8	$23,689	$1,585	$1,215	$2,800	$17,656	$3,233	$20,889
East Clarendon Middle-High	Public	6-12	1171 Pope Street	Turbeville	29162	Clarendon County	Clarendon 06	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(843) 659-2185	722	38	19.0	63.6%	518 (71.7%)	159 (22.0%)	40 (5.5%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	69.7	65^th of 248 public high schools	73.8%		48.4	114^th of 240 public high schools	52.5%	49	66.7	56.1	53.1	64.0	45.9	39.8	65.3	78.0	71.6	50.6	92.8	$13,684	$1,305	$736	$2,041	$10,108	$1,535	$11,643

Frequently Asked Questions about Lakewood High

What district is Lakewood High in?

Sumter 01

Is Lakewood High a good school?

Lakewood High ranks 177^th of 248 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Lakewood High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,013 students attended Lakewood High.

What is the racial makeup of Lakewood High?

Students at Lakewood High are 59% African American, 30% White, 6% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Lakewood High?

Lakewood High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Manchester Elementary
Elementary : Pocalla Springs Elementary
Middle : Furman Middle

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresAug 10, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataNov 3, 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.