Summary:
In zip code 29020, there is just one middle school, Camden Middle, which serves grades 6 through 8 and enrolls 844 students in the Kershaw 01 district.
Camden Middle is the only option for families in this area, and it shows a clear pattern of improvement. The school’s state ranking has climbed from 175th to 164th, and its star rating improved from 2 stars to 3 stars for the 2025-2026 school year. The most impressive highlight is its Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam performance, where 88.1% of students scored proficient—far above the district’s 64.6% and the state’s 74.0%. The school also beats both district and state averages in 6th-grade science, with 55.2% proficiency. However, in standard SC READY tests, the school trails the state in both English Language Arts and math across all grade levels. For example, 8th-grade math proficiency is 35.8% versus the state’s 43.9%, and 6th-grade ELA is 51.5% versus the state’s 56.4%. That said, the school is making strong year-over-year gains—8th-grade math jumped from 23.2% to 35.8%, and 6th-grade ELA rose from 45.1% to 51.5%.
For parents, this school offers a favorable student-teacher ratio of 14.6 to 1 and a chronic absenteeism rate of 19.4%, which is better than both the district (21.0%) and state (22.3%). Per-student spending is $11,679. The big takeaway is that Camden Middle excels at preparing advanced students for high-level math and shows solid science results, but the general student body still needs support to reach state averages in core subjects. The rapid improvement across nearly every grade and subject suggests the school is on an upward trajectory, making it a reasonable choice for families who value a school that is actively improving and has strong programs for accelerated learners.
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