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Midlands STEM Charter School

Public, Charter, Alternative Grades PK, KG-12
553rd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 661 South Carolina Alternative Schools
Better than 16% of South Carolina alternative schools
Summary

Midlands STEM Charter School in Winnsboro, SC, is a small alternative charter school serving 306 students from Pre-K through 12th grade, operating under the Charter Institute at Erskine.

This school serves a predominantly low-income community, with nearly 99% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. The most significant challenge facing the school is chronic absenteeism—in 2024-2025, 30.1% of students were chronically absent, compared to just 11.5% district-wide and 22.3% statewide. This has improved dramatically from a staggering 60.3% rate in 2022-2023, but it remains a major obstacle. Mathematics proficiency is consistently well below state averages across all grade levels; for example, only 9.4% of 6th graders were proficient in math in 2024-2025, versus 39.4% statewide. However, the picture is more mixed in English Language Arts, where 5th graders matched the state average (63.6%) and 4th graders exceeded it (65.4% vs. 63.5%). The school also shows notable strength in some end-of-course exams, with Algebra 1 proficiency at 67.74% in 2024-2025—well above the district average of 51.26%—and English 2 proficiency reaching 92% in 2023-2024, exceeding both district and state averages.

Graduation rates have been volatile, swinging from 100% in 2021-2022 down to 76.9% in 2023-2024, before recovering to 80% in 2024-2025—figures that trail state averages. The school's small size (306 students) means individual student performance can cause large year-to-year swings in percentages. With a favorable 14.2:1 student-to-teacher ratio and per-student spending of $14,270, the school has resources to work with, yet outcomes remain uneven. The only nearby comparable school is the SCDJJ Evaluation and Detention Center, a juvenile justice facility in Columbia, which serves a fundamentally different population and offers no meaningful academic comparison. Despite the challenges, there are encouraging signs: absenteeism has been cut in half over two years, Algebra 1 scores improved significantly, and several ELA grades have reached or exceeded state averages.

306
Students ?
14.2
Student/teacher ratio ?
$12,455
Per pupil spending ?
Community Eligibility
All students receive free meals (2023-24) ?
 854 HWY 321 Business South
       Winnsboro, SC  29180

(803) 815-1524

District: Charter Institute at Erskine

Racial breakdown:

White:
56.2%
African American:
38.6%
Asian:
2.0%
more
 See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

 Compare Midlands STEM Charter School to nearby alternative schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 60th percentile in 2023 → 17th in 2026
Strengths
✓91% graduate in 4 years — above the South Carolina average (87%)
Worth a look
!Test scores below the South Carolina average (41% vs 57% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)
!High chronic absenteeism (30% vs 21% South Carolina)
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school41%
District avg49%
South Carolina avg57%
Elementary school
553rd of 661
South Carolina public elementary schools ?
Bottom 16%▼ down 17 pts since 2019
From bottom 33% (2019) to bottom 16% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
Middle school
241st of 341
South Carolina public middle schools ?
Bottom 29%▼ down 28 pts since 2021
From top 43% (2021) to bottom 29% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
High school
206th of 248
South Carolina public high schools ?
Bottom 17%▼ down 43 pts since 2023
From top 40% (2023) to bottom 17% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
10th of 12Alternative Schools in the Charter Institute at Erskine
43rd of 75Charter Institute at Erskine 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)
Elementary school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202618.6553 of 66116.3%★☆☆☆☆
202527.8465 of 63927.2%★☆☆☆☆
202433.4430 of 64333.1%★★☆☆☆
202333.7429 of 64433.4%★★☆☆☆
202243.8348 of 62544.3%★★☆☆☆
202154.5270 of 62256.6%★★★☆☆
201934.6428 of 64333.4%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202531.5440 of 61228.1%★☆☆☆☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202630.3241 of 34129.3%★☆☆☆☆
202526.4244 of 32124.0%★☆☆☆☆
202428.3234 of 32227.3%★☆☆☆☆
202249.9143 of 31053.9%★★★☆☆
202154.5134 of 31156.9%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202526.1242 of 30821.4%★☆☆☆☆
High school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202622.0206 of 24816.9%★☆☆☆☆
202532.4159 of 24033.8%★★☆☆☆
202446.2121 of 24350.2%★★★☆☆
202352.995 of 23759.9%★★★☆☆
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)
Elementary school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)28th percentile~ school
Middle school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)21st percentile-3 vs school
By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?
English 276%-8 vs state
English Language Arts54%-7 vs state
Biology 1/Applied Biology 242%-19 vs state
Mathematics21%-27 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Midlands STEM Charter School

In the 2024-25 school year, 306 students attended Midlands STEM Charter School.

Midlands STEM Charter School ranks in the bottom 16.3% of South Carolina alternative schools.

Students at Midlands STEM Charter School are 56% White, 39% African American, 2% Asian, 2% Hispanic.

Rate Midlands STEM Charter School!



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Schools in Winnsboro, SC

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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.

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