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William J. Clark Middle

Public Grades 6-8

302^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 320 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 6% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

William J. Clark Middle is a public middle school in Orangeburg, South Carolina, serving 649 students in grades 6-8. The school 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.

William J. Clark Middle consistently underperforms compared to the district and state in standardized test scores, with only 33.2% of 6th graders, 31.2% of 7th graders, and 28.7% of 8th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, and even lower math proficiency rates. The school also has high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 22.5% to 38.5% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, the school has a 100% free and reduced-price lunch rate, indicating that all students come from low-income families, which is a key factor contributing to the school's academic challenges.

Interestingly, the two nearby schools, Carver Edisto Middle and Robert E. Howard Middle, also part of the Orangeburg School District, perform similarly to William J. Clark Middle in terms of academic achievement and other key metrics, suggesting that the challenges faced by the school are likely systemic issues within the district. Despite higher spending per student and a relatively low student-teacher ratio, the school's academic performance remains poor, indicating that simply increasing funding and reducing class sizes may not be the sole solution to the school's challenges.

587

Students ?

13.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,460

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

919 Bennett Avenue
Orangeburg, SC 29115

(803) 531-2200

District: Orangeburg

Students who attend William J. Clark Middle usually attend:

High:

Orangeburg Wilkinson High

Feeder schools for William J. Clark Middle:

Elementary:	Marshall Elementary
	Sheridan Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

87.6%

Hispanic:

4.9%

White:

3.2%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare William J. Clark Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 24th percentile in 2021 → 6th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (24% vs 50% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (35% vs 22% South Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg30%

South Carolina avg50%

302^nd of 320

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 19 pts since 2021

From bottom 24% (2021) to bottom 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Middle 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	10.5	302 of 320	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.2	293 of 325	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.0	295 of 325	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.2	262 of 310	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.1	235 of 311	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	25.8	209 of 252	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.5	189 of 248	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.6	195 of 253	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.1	149 of 249	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.1	124 of 235	47.2%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	20.9	162 of 184	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.0	174 of 177	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.3	161 of 187	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.1	167 of 183	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	11.4	272 of 295	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.1	246 of 294	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.2	258 of 299	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.5	239 of 290	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	10.4	298 of 307	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.3	290 of 307	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.2	298 of 313	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.5	271 of 300	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	33.7	184 of 288	36.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	9.6	281 of 296	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.2	283 of 294	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.3	288 of 303	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.9	266 of 292	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)17th percentile+11 vs school

Disabled (2025)12th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)8th percentile~ school

Male (2025)5th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)3rd percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 277%+3 vs state

English Language Arts31%-26 vs state

Science29%-19 vs state

Mathematics11%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near William J. Clark Middle

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)	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	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
William J. Clark Middle	Public	6-8	919 Bennett Avenue	Orangeburg	29115	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg	No	No	No	No	(803) 531-2200	587	45	13.0		19 (3.2%)	514 (87.6%)	29 (4.9%)	10 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	13 (2.2%)	10.5	302^nd of 320 public middle schools	5.6%		13.2	293^rd of 325 public middle schools	9.8%	9	33.2	31.2	28.7	18.3	8.0	7.2	29.2	76.6	$15,460	$1,198	$1,075	$2,273	$11,363	$1,825	$13,187
Robert E. Howard Middle	Public	6-8	1255 Belleville Road	Orangeburg	29115	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 534-5470	396	26	15.4		7 (1.8%)	351 (88.6%)	21 (5.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.0%)	18.7	264^th of 320 public middle schools	17.5%		18	270^th of 325 public middle schools	16.9%	6	33.0	41.1	42.4	22.0	12.8	21.8	24.3	91.7	$14,620	$1,243	$1,160	$2,403	$10,328	$1,889	$12,217
Carver Edisto Middle	Public	6-8	2018 Carver School Road	Cope	29038	Orangeburg County	Orangeburg	No	No	No	No	(803) 534-3554	439	34	12.7		148 (33.7%)	230 (52.4%)	36 (8.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.2%)	11.5	297^th of 320 public middle schools	7.2%		10.7	307^th of 325 public middle schools	5.5%	10	34.9	34.5	30.1	19.8	8.2	8.3	26.7	70.4	$15,823	$1,263	$1,536	$2,799	$11,200	$1,824	$13,024
Bamberg-Ehrhardt Middle	Public	7-8	897 North Street	Bamberg	29003	Bamberg County	Bamberg 03	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(803) 245-3058	188	18	10.4		89 (47.3%)	88 (46.8%)	4 (2.1%)	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.1%)	29.7	230^th of 320 public middle schools	28.1%		45.9	162^nd of 325 public middle schools	50.2%	68		45.9	43.0		24.1	23.6			$19,476	$1,692	$1,464	$3,156	$13,772	$2,548	$16,320
Denmark-Olar Middle	Public	6-8	1437 Church St	Denmark	29042	Bamberg County	Bamberg 03	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(803) 793-3383	144	9	16.0		2 (1.4%)	132 (91.7%)	4 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.2%)	5.7	318^th of 320 public middle schools	0.6%		10.8	305^th of 325 public middle schools	6.2%	13	16.6	26.1	36.6	9.5	4.3	1.9	9.5		$18,034	$1,917	$1,173	$3,090	$11,475	$3,469	$14,944

Frequently Asked Questions about William J. Clark Middle

Is William J. Clark Middle a good school?

William J. Clark Middle ranks in the bottom 5.6% of South Carolina middle schools.

What high school do graduates of William J. Clark Middle attend?

Students who attend William J. Clark Middle usually go on to attend Orangeburg Wilkinson High

How many students attend William J. Clark Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 587 students attended William J. Clark Middle.

What district is William J. Clark Middle in?

Orangeburg

What is the racial makeup of William J. Clark Middle?

Students at William J. Clark Middle are 88% African American, 5% Hispanic, 3% White, 2% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

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Schools in Orangeburg, SC

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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.