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Bethune-Bowman Middle/High

Public Grades 6-12

202^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 235 South Carolina High Schools

Better than 14% of South Carolina high schools

Summary

Bethune-Bowman Middle/High is a public school serving grades 6-12 in Rowesville, South Carolina, with 367 students. It is part of the Orangeburg School District, which is ranked 66 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Bethune-Bowman Middle/High has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of South Carolina high schools over the past 5 years, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Bethune-Bowman Middle/High significantly underperforms the state and district averages across a range of standardized tests, including EOCEP, SC READY, and SCPASS. For example, in 2024-2025, only 19.5% of 6th graders were proficient in ELA compared to the state average of 56%, and only 14.6% were proficient in math compared to the state average of 39.4%. The school also has a lower 4-year graduation rate around 80-85% and a higher dropout rate of 2-3% compared to state averages. Additionally, Bethune-Bowman Middle/High has very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 20-33% in recent years, significantly above the state and district averages.

Interestingly, Bethune-Bowman Middle/High performs significantly worse than the other high schools in the Orangeburg district, such as Lake Marion High, Edisto High, and Orangeburg Wilkinson High, which have higher test scores, graduation rates, and lower chronic absenteeism. Despite spending around $15,000 per student, which is higher than the state average, Bethune-Bowman Middle/High's outcomes remain concerning, particularly for male students, African American students, and low-socioeconomic status students.

349

Students ?

14.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,558

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4857 Charleston Highway
Rowesville, SC 29133

(803) 516-6011

District: Orangeburg

Feeder schools for Bethune-Bowman Middle/High:

Elementary:

Bethune-Bowman Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

77.1%

Hispanic:

16.3%

White:

5.2%

See top rated South Carolina high schools

Compare Bethune-Bowman Middle/High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 3rd percentile in 2024 → 14th in 2025

Strengths

✓92% graduate in 4 years — above the South Carolina average (87%)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 14th (2025) from a 3rd-percentile low (2024)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (30% vs 56% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!U.S. History and the Constitution scores 50 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school30%

District avg35%

South Carolina avg56%

Middle school

314^th of 320

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 2 pts since 2022

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

202^nd of 235

South Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 14%▼ down 10 pts since 2021

From bottom 24% (2021) to bottom 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 7High Schools in the Orangeburg

66^th of 75Orangeburg 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	6.6	314 of 320	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.5	324 of 325	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.1	318 of 325	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.7	297 of 310	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	14.4	242 of 252	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	234 of 248	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.3	242 of 253	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.9	210 of 249	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	7.0	291 of 295	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.4	291 of 294	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.1	286 of 299	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.1	273 of 290	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	8.7	300 of 307	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.4	305 of 307	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.3	306 of 313	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.5	279 of 300	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	5.1	294 of 296	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.5	289 of 294	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.7	299 of 303	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.8	284 of 292	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	16.7	202 of 235	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	6.6	227 of 235	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	175 of 237	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.2	207 of 226	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.7	173 of 227	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	34.7	140 of 194	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.4	182 of 194	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	42.1	106 of 199	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.3	151 of 190	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	33.5	151 of 225	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	18.5	186 of 225	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.4	130 of 223	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	15.2	195 of 220	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	21.3	185 of 226	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.0	218 of 229	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	33.9	147 of 226	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	16.2	196 of 220	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	11.8	206 of 224	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.9	227 of 228	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.5	196 of 229	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.0	210 of 224	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Middle school

African American (2025)4th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)1st percentile~ school

Male (2025)1st percentile~ school

High school

Female (2025)33rd percentile+19 vs school

African American (2025)28th percentile+14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)18th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)8th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 280%+6 vs state

English 278%-9 vs state

English 129%-33 vs state

English Language Arts26%-31 vs state

Science15%-34 vs state

U.S. History and the Constitution12%-50 vs state

Mathematics8%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bethune-Bowman Middle/High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SC READY English Language Arts (2025)			SC READY Mathematics (2025)			SC READY Science (2025)	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2025)	EOCEP English 1 (2025)	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution (2025)	EOCEP English 2 (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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 English 1 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
Bethune-Bowman Middle/High	Public	6-12	4857 Charleston Highway	Rowesville	29133	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 516-6011	349	25	14.0		18 (5.2%)	269 (77.1%)	57 (16.3%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	16.7	202^nd of 235 public high schools	14.0%		6.6	227^th of 235 public high schools	3.4%	25	19.5	23.5	34.8	14.6	4.0	6.5	14.6	79.6	28.6	11.5	77.6	$15,558	$1,764	$1,521	$3,285	$10,428	$1,845	$12,273
Orangeburg Wilkinson High	Public	9-12	601 Bruin Parkway	Orangeburg	29118	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg	No	No	No	No	(803) 534-6180	992	60	16.5		20 (2.0%)	903 (91.0%)	47 (4.7%)	7 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	13 (1.3%)	5.3	227^th of 235 public high schools	3.4%		13.9	209^th of 235 public high schools	11.1%	18								57.5	23.7	32.7	63.3	$17,547	$1,137	$2,786	$3,923	$11,413	$2,212	$13,624
Orangeburg High School for Health Professions	Public, Charter	9-12	130 Howard Hill Drive	Orangeburg	29118	Orangeburg County	Limestone Charters Association	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(803) 535-1693	492	26	18.9		4 (0.8%)	460 (93.5%)	4 (0.8%)	17 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.4%)	53.7	95^th of 235 public high schools	59.6%		48.7	105^th of 235 public high schools	55.3%	10								60.2	62.9	69.9	87.9	$12,899	$1,461	$429	$1,889	$7,424	$3,586	$11,010
The Orangeburg Career & Technology Center	Public	9-12	3720 Magnolia Street	Orangeburg	29118	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg 81	No	No	No	No	(803) 536-4473	0	13	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Branchville High	Public	6-12	1349 Dorange Road	Branchville	29432	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg	No	No	No	No	(803) 274-8875	317	22	14.2		228 (71.9%)	70 (22.1%)	2 (0.6%)	4 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.8%)	69.1	50^th of 235 public high schools	78.7%		60.8	72^nd of 235 public high schools	69.4%	22	65.9	73.5	64.6	75.0	57.1	39.6	52.2	81.6	71.0	71.8	91.8	$15,767	$1,067	$1,401	$2,468	$11,467	$1,832	$13,299
Edisto High	Public	9-12	500 R.M. Foster Drive	Cordova	29039	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg	No	No	No	No	(803) 536-1553	614	48	12.6		227 (37.0%)	320 (52.1%)	45 (7.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.3%)	17.5	199^th of 235 public high schools	15.3%		14.3	207^th of 235 public high schools	11.9%	8								71.6	38.9	36.4	76.8	$18,528	$1,158	$2,688	$3,846	$12,275	$2,407	$14,682
Lake Marion Technology Center	Public	9-12	3656 Tee Vee Road	Santee	29142	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(803) 854-9213	0	14	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Lake Marion High School	Public	9-12	3656 Tee Vee Road	Santee	29142	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg	No	No	No	No	(803) 854-9213	692	41	17.0		55 (7.9%)	591 (85.4%)	25 (3.6%)	6 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (1.9%)	11.4	217^th of 235 public high schools	7.7%		12.2	213^th of 235 public high schools	9.4%	4								42.9	35.9	25.8	80.1	$19,192	$1,837	$1,747	$3,584	$13,475	$2,133	$15,608
Cope Area Career Center	Public	9-12	6052 Slab Landing Road	Cope	29038	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg 80	No	No	No	No	(803) 534-7661	0	11	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Bamberg-Ehrhardt High	Public	9-12	267 Red Raider Drive	Bamberg	29003	Bamberg County	Bamberg 03	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(803) 245-3030	383	32	11.9		147 (38.4%)	216 (56.4%)	13 (3.4%)	3 (0.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	46	118^th of 235 public high schools	49.8%		36.8	142^nd of 235 public high schools	39.6%	24								68.3	67.6	37.5	84.6	$19,508	$1,323	$1,082	$2,405	$14,356	$2,747	$17,103

Frequently Asked Questions about Bethune-Bowman Middle/High

Is Bethune-Bowman Middle/High a good school?

Bethune-Bowman Middle/High ranks in the bottom 14.0% of South Carolina high schools.

What schools feed into Bethune-Bowman Middle/High?

Bethune-Bowman Middle/High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bethune-Bowman Elementary

What district is Bethune-Bowman Middle/High in?

Orangeburg

What is the racial makeup of Bethune-Bowman Middle/High?

Students at Bethune-Bowman Middle/High are 77% African American, 16% Hispanic, 5% White.

How many students attend Bethune-Bowman Middle/High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 349 students attended Bethune-Bowman Middle/High.

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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.