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Hillcrest Middle

Q: Is Hillcrest Middle a good school?

Hillcrest Middle ranks 240 th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

240^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 341 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 30% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

Hillcrest Middle in Dalzell, SC, is a small school serving 365 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Sumter 01 district, where every student qualifies for free or reduced lunch.

The most impressive thing about Hillcrest is its advanced math program. For three years in a row, every single student taking Algebra 1 has scored proficient on the state exam—a perfect 100% rate. That's far above the district average of about 58% and even beats nearby Lugoff-Elgin Middle (99.99%). The school also shows a remarkable ability to grow math skills over time: only 22% of 6th graders are proficient in math, but by 8th grade that jumps to 39%. That's a much bigger improvement than what you see at nearby Furman Middle or Ebenezer Middle. In English, 7th and 8th graders also outperform the district average by about 5-7 percentage points, though scores still trail the state.

That said, the school faces real challenges. Its overall state rating is just 1 star, and chronic absenteeism sits at 36.5%—much higher than the state average of 22.3%, though better than Chestnut Oaks Middle (46.4%) and Furman Middle (44.6%). The school has also seen a widening gender gap, with girls now performing 10 percentile points ahead of boys. On the positive side, the school has been steadily improving outcomes for its African American students, moving from the 35th to the 47th percentile over three years. While per-student spending ($13,183) is moderate compared to peers, Hillcrest gets solid results from its resources. For families, the takeaway is this: students who attend Hillcrest often arrive below grade level but make meaningful academic gains, especially in math—just be aware that attendance is a significant issue to watch.

365

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,183

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4355 Peach Orchard Road
Dalzell, SC 29040

(803) 499-3341

District: Sumter 01

Students who attend Hillcrest Middle usually attend:

High:

Crestwood High

Feeder schools for Hillcrest Middle:

Elementary:	Cherryvale Elementary
	Rafting Creek Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

52.3%

White:

30.4%

Hispanic:

10.4%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare Hillcrest Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 37th percentile in 2016 → 30th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (38% vs 51% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (36% vs 22% South Carolina)

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg33%

South Carolina avg51%

240^th of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 8 pts since 2016

From bottom 37% (2016) to bottom 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd 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	30.4	240 of 341	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	39.0	191 of 321	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.7	233 of 322	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.2	216 of 325	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.9	204 of 310	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.3	182 of 311	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.6	129 of 315	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.6	121 of 303	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	39.6	192 of 317	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	41.0	190 of 303	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	43.0	170 of 301	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	44.1	169 of 291	41.9%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.7	135 of 258	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.5	156 of 251	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.8	160 of 246	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.3	155 of 253	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.3	185 of 249	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	46.6	114 of 235	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.0	65 of 252	74.2%	★★★★☆
2018	70.2	39 of 237	83.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.4	204 of 310	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.9	184 of 295	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.9	220 of 293	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.9	202 of 299	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.5	205 of 290	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.1	182 of 279	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.5	147 of 296	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.9	128 of 281	54.4%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	42.3	135 of 184	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.7	137 of 185	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.1	154 of 182	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.5	161 of 179	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	28.2	248 of 325	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.9	229 of 308	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.8	258 of 304	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.1	238 of 313	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.9	203 of 300	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.2	202 of 288	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.1	142 of 289	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.1	127 of 280	54.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.9	234 of 310	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.6	185 of 298	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.0	202 of 292	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.3	200 of 303	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.3	185 of 292	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.6	150 of 279	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.9	104 of 296	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.2	112 of 284	60.6%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	54.5	7 of 13	46.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.4	11 of 13	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.6	11 of 12	8.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.7	6 of 11	45.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	33.3	189 of 271	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.9	107 of 259	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	30.5	185 of 256	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.4	156 of 260	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.7	174 of 249	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.6	157 of 244	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	61.9	100 of 258	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.0	128 of 250	48.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)48th percentile+18 vs school

Military Connected (2025)46th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)34th percentile+5 vs school

White (2026)30th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2024)27th percentile~ school

Male (2026)25th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)24th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts46%-12 vs state

Science35%-16 vs state

Mathematics32%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hillcrest 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)	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
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
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
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
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
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
Camden Middle	Public	6-8	902 McRae Road	Camden	29020	Kershaw County	Kershaw 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 425-8975	844	58	14.6	100.0%	365 (43.2%)	299 (35.4%)	115 (13.6%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	61 (7.2%)	47.4	167^th of 341 public middle schools	51.0%		44.2	168^th of 321 public middle schools	47.7%	1		51.5	54.0	57.3		35.3	38.7	35.8	55.2	$11,679	$818	$767	$1,585	$8,514	$1,581	$10,094
Lee Central Middle	Public	6-8	41 Charlene Lane	Bishopville	29010	Lee County	Lee 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 428-2100	288	28	10.2	100.0%	23 (8.0%)	252 (87.5%)	10 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	6.2	331^st of 341 public middle schools	2.9%		8.8	309^th of 321 public middle schools	3.7%	22		24.5	32.1	33.7		11.7	15.4	9.6	19.1	$23,994	$1,531	$5,618	$7,149	$12,107	$4,738	$16,845
Lugoff-Elgin Middle	Public	6-8	1244 Highway 1 South	Lugoff	29078	Kershaw County	Kershaw 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 438-3591	649	46	14.1	58.7%	412 (63.5%)	122 (18.8%)	45 (6.9%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (10.2%)	72.2	82^nd of 341 public middle schools	76.0%		66.7	93^rd of 321 public middle schools	71.0%	11		61.8	64.6	71.1		50.3	47.2	59.5	54.0	$14,199	$702	$839	$1,541	$10,836	$1,822	$12,658

Frequently Asked Questions about Hillcrest Middle

What high school do graduates of Hillcrest Middle attend?

Students who attend Hillcrest Middle usually go on to attend Crestwood High

What is the racial makeup of Hillcrest Middle?

Students at Hillcrest Middle are 52% African American, 30% White, 10% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is Hillcrest Middle in?

Sumter 01

How many students attend Hillcrest Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 365 students attended Hillcrest Middle.

Is Hillcrest Middle a good school?

Hillcrest Middle ranks 240^th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate Hillcrest 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.