Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Bates Middle

Public Grades 6-8

289^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 341 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 15% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

Bates Middle in Sumter, SC, serves 481 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Sumter 01 school district, which currently ranks in the bottom quintile of South Carolina districts.

Bates Middle has shown meaningful academic improvement over the past two years following a particularly difficult 2023-2024 school year. The school's standout strength is its exceptional Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam performance, with 96.55% of students scoring proficient in 2024-2025—a remarkable 38.6 percentage point advantage over the district average and 22.6 points above the state. This success in advanced mathematics contrasts sharply with generally low proficiency rates in grade-level math, ELA, and especially science. For example, only 22.1% of 6th graders and 17.1% of 7th graders scored proficient on SC READY Mathematics in 2025-2026. However, 8th grade math proficiency has improved dramatically from 8.8% in 2023-2024 to 33.1% in 2025-2026, now exceeding the district average. The school has also shown consistent upward trajectory across most subjects and grade levels, with ELA proficiency improving by 12-17 percentage points in each grade since 2023-2024.

Compared to nearby Alice Drive Middle, located just 2.69 miles away, Bates Middle lags behind in most metrics despite spending $2,216 more per student ($14,974 vs. $12,758) and having a better student-teacher ratio (13.1:1 vs. 16.6:1). Chronic absenteeism remains a challenge at 33.8%, though this is now below the district average of 35.9% and better than several nearby schools including Furman Middle (44.6%) and Chestnut Oaks Middle (46.4%). The school has shown notable progress among African American students, jumping from the 2nd to 24th percentile over two years, and has improved its overall state ranking from 313th to 285th out of 335 schools. Science achievement remains a significant concern, with only 24.5% of 6th graders proficient compared to the state average of 51.9%.

481

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,974

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

715 Estate Street
Sumter, SC 29150

(803) 775-0711

District: Sumter 01

Students who attend Bates Middle usually attend:

High:

Sumter High School

Feeder schools for Bates Middle:

Elementary:	Kingsbury Elementary
	Wilder Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

69.4%

White:

20.2%

Two or more races:

5.2%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare Bates Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 17th percentile in 2016 → 15th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (31% vs 51% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (34% vs 22% South Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school31%

District avg33%

South Carolina avg51%

289^th of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 15%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 6Middle 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	18.3	289 of 341	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.1	270 of 321	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.5	311 of 322	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.4	269 of 325	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.5	260 of 310	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.4	277 of 311	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.7	259 of 315	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.2	222 of 303	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	21.0	258 of 317	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.4	250 of 303	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	24.7	237 of 301	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	32.4	215 of 291	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.8	195 of 258	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.1	199 of 251	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.2	241 of 246	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.5	210 of 253	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.7	199 of 249	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.2	216 of 235	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	35.2	170 of 252	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.7	114 of 237	51.9%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.3	165 of 192	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.6	173 of 184	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.6	163 of 177	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.1	163 of 187	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.6	135 of 183	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.6	170 of 195	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.4	181 of 194	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.8	285 of 310	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.2	265 of 295	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.8	286 of 293	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.1	256 of 299	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.6	251 of 290	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.3	250 of 279	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.4	239 of 296	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.2	211 of 281	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	9.1	185 of 197	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.9	169 of 173	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.1	181 of 184	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.5	177 of 185	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	1.4	181 of 182	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.9	289 of 325	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.1	272 of 308	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.1	304 of 304	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.3	283 of 313	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.7	292 of 300	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.6	284 of 288	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.5	244 of 289	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.9	206 of 280	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.2	246 of 310	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.5	247 of 298	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.4	272 of 292	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.1	248 of 303	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.1	239 of 292	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.3	247 of 279	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.7	245 of 296	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.2	216 of 284	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.5	223 of 271	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.9	215 of 259	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	235 of 256	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	29.2	192 of 260	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	214 of 249	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.7	211 of 244	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.8	165 of 258	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.0	168 of 250	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)24th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2026)21st percentile+5 vs school

White (2026)18th percentile~ school

Disabled (2026)14th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)11th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)8th percentile-7 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)6th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts41%-17 vs state

Science24%-27 vs state

Mathematics24%-18 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

Rate Bates Middle

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Avoid this school at all costs. Close Quote

Schools Near Bates Middle

Load more schools when map is moved

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
Bates Middle	Public	6-8	715 Estate Street	Sumter	29150	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 775-0711	481	37	13.1	100.0%	97 (20.2%)	334 (69.4%)	18 (3.7%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	25 (5.2%)	18.3	289^th of 341 public middle schools	15.2%		17.1	270^th of 321 public middle schools	15.9%	19	35.8	41.8	47.1	22.1	17.1	33.1	24.5	$14,974	$1,022	$1,459	$2,482	$10,488	$2,004	$12,493
Alice Drive Middle	Public	6-8	40 Miller Road	Sumter	29150	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 775-0821	783	47	16.6	100.0%	235 (30.0%)	439 (56.1%)	42 (5.4%)	25 (3.2%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (4.9%)	37.9	214^th of 341 public middle schools	37.2%		49.7	145^th of 321 public middle schools	54.8%	69	45.0	59.4	49.0	26.1	32.2	35.7	48.4	$12,758	$756	$1,028	$1,784	$9,615	$1,358	$10,974
Chestnut Oaks Middle	Public	6-8	1200 Oswego Road	Sumter	29153	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 775-7272	339	21	16.1	100.0%	17 (5.0%)	276 (81.4%)	33 (9.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.2%)	6.3	330^th of 341 public middle schools	3.2%		6.5	317^th of 321 public middle schools	1.2%	13	19.4	36.9	31.2	6.5	14.1	21.5	17.2	$16,083	$1,837	$2,270	$4,108	$9,158	$2,817	$11,975
Furman Middle	Public	6-8	3400 Bethel Church Road	Sumter	29154	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 481-8519	700	41	17.0	100.0%	208 (29.7%)	406 (58.0%)	41 (5.9%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	38 (5.4%)	18.5	288^th of 341 public middle schools	15.5%		14.3	284^th of 321 public middle schools	11.5%	4	37.2	44.5	42.7	18.6	16.7	24.0	39.7	$12,528	$912	$1,128	$2,040	$8,574	$1,913	$10,488
Ebenezer Middle	Public	6-8	3440 Ebenezer Road	Sumter	29153	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 469-8571	352	27	13.0	100.0%	40 (11.4%)	278 (79.0%)	18 (5.1%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.4%)	15.5	304^th of 341 public middle schools	10.9%		15.6	276^th of 321 public middle schools	14.0%	28	34.4	41.4	40.9	18.8	20.8	17.9	35.9	$13,950	$1,095	$2,050	$3,145	$9,095	$1,710	$10,805
Hillcrest Middle	Public	6-8	4355 Peach Orchard Road	Dalzell	29040	Sumter County	Sumter 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 499-3341	365	25	14.6	100.0%	111 (30.4%)	191 (52.3%)	38 (10.4%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	18 (4.9%)	30.4	240^th of 341 public middle schools	29.6%		39	191^st of 321 public middle schools	40.5%	49	33.6	52.4	52.3	22.1	34.3	39.2	35.4	$13,183	$1,020	$1,467	$2,487	$9,298	$1,399	$10,696
Manning Junior High	Public	6-8	1101 W.L. Hamilton Road	Manning	29102	Clarendon County	Clarendon 06	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(803) 435-8195	483	29	16.6	100.0%	128 (26.5%)	320 (66.3%)	23 (4.8%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.4%)	32	233^rd of 341 public middle schools	31.7%		30.8	228^th of 321 public middle schools	29.0%	5	50.6	52.6	51.1	27.7	15.2	38.3	36.2	$14,200	$2,260	$953	$3,213	$9,702	$1,284	$10,986
Scott's Branch Middle	Public	6-8	9253 Alex Harvin Highway	Summerton	29148	Clarendon County	Clarendon 06	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(803) 574-2100	145	8	18.5	100.0%	11 (7.6%)	125 (86.2%)	5 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.8%)	15.9	301^st of 341 public middle schools	11.7%		31.9	224^th of 321 public middle schools	30.2%	77	39.4	38.9	43.7	21.1	20.0	23.6	23.7	$11,615	$2,691	$542	$3,234	$7,690	$692	$8,382

Frequently Asked Questions about Bates Middle

What high school do graduates of Bates Middle attend?

Students who attend Bates Middle usually go on to attend Sumter High School

What is the racial makeup of Bates Middle?

Students at Bates Middle are 69% African American, 20% White, 5% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

What district is Bates Middle in?

Sumter 01

How many students attend Bates Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 481 students attended Bates Middle.

Is Bates Middle a good school?

Bates Middle ranks in the bottom 15.2% of South Carolina middle schools.

Rate Bates Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

SCSouth Carolina Middle School Rankings

SCSouth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Sumter, SC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Bates Middle!

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.