Summary:
Middle Schools in zip code 29069, located in the rural community of Lamar, SC, consist of a single school, Spaulding Middle, serving grades 6 through 8 with 228 students as part of the Darlington 01 school district.
Spaulding Middle is a school of striking contrasts. Its most impressive achievement is in advanced mathematics, where the Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 EOCEP pass rate reached an exceptional 90.47% for 2024-2025, far surpassing both the district (68.33%) and state (73.95%) averages. However, this strength does not extend to all students, as 6th-grade math proficiency sits at just 26.9%, a full 14 points below the state average. The school also shows significant year-over-year volatility; 7th-grade math improved from 31.3% to 42.9%, while 8th-grade English Language Arts dropped sharply from 65.6% to 50.6%. This inconsistency makes it difficult to predict future performance, though the school does maintain a strong attendance culture with a chronic absenteeism rate of 15.1%, notably better than the district (23.4%) and state (22.3%) averages.
Despite spending a substantial $18,777 per student and maintaining a favorable 12.6:1 student-teacher ratio, the school's overall state ranking is projected to decline from 137th (57th percentile) to 183rd (45th percentile) for 2025-2026. While Spaulding Middle often outperforms its district averages—particularly in 7th and 8th-grade math and the Algebra 1 EOCEP—it still lags state averages in several core areas, including 6th-grade math, 8th-grade ELA, and 6th-grade science. For parents, this school offers a clear bright spot in advanced math preparation and a positive, engaged student body, but the mixed results and high spending suggest that resources may not be evenly translating into consistent proficiency gains across all grade levels and subjects.
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