Summary:
Zip code 29112 is served by a single public high school, North Middle/High, a combined campus for grades 6 through 12 with 227 students in the Orangeburg district.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that North Middle/High is a school of contrasts. On the positive side, it offers exceptional resources: a very low student-to-teacher ratio of 9.1:1 and high per-student spending of $20,519, which suggests small classes and potential for individual attention. The school also posts a strong 90.6% graduation rate and a perfect 0.0% dropout rate, both better than the district and state averages. However, academic performance is uneven. High school courses, especially English 2 (81.8% proficiency) and Algebra 1, are competitive with state averages, but middle school grades lag behind, with 6th-grade math at 29.1% proficiency versus the state's 40.9%. A notable bright spot is 8th-grade math, which at 57.5% proficiency significantly beats the state's 44.2%.
The biggest red flag is chronic absenteeism, which sits at 30.6%—far above the state average of 22.3% and nearly identical to the district's rate. This likely contributes to the school's declining state ranking, which has slipped from 89th (3 stars) in 2024-2025 to a projected 141st (2 stars) for 2025-2026. While the school consistently outperforms its low-rated district in most subjects, it remains below state averages in many middle school areas. The data suggests a "tale of two schools" within one building: strong high school outcomes and graduation rates, but middle school performance that needs targeted intervention. The high per-pupil spending and low class sizes are assets, but they haven't yet translated into consistent, top-tier academic results across all grade levels.
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