Summary:
Zip code 29133 in Rowesville, South Carolina, is served by two schools within the Orangeburg School District, which together form a PK-12 educational continuum on a single campus for approximately 608 students.
For families considering this area, Bethune-Bowman Middle/High is the larger of the two schools, serving grades 6-12 with 349 students. Its most notable strength is a 92.2% graduation rate that significantly outperforms both the district (80.4%) and state (86.7%) averages, alongside a low 1.9% dropout rate. The school also excels in Algebra 1, where 79.59% of students meet proficiency—exceeding both district and state rates. However, this success contrasts sharply with other subjects; U.S. History proficiency sits at just 11.76%, and middle school science scores are particularly concerning, with only 11.5% of 6th graders proficient. The school's overall state ranking has slipped to 241st out of 245 schools, though there are encouraging signs of improvement in 7th and 8th grade math, which saw dramatic year-over-year gains.
Bethune-Bowman Elementary serves grades PK-5 with 259 students and shows a mixed picture. The school's 3rd grade ELA proficiency (45.9%) now exceeds the district average, representing strong growth from the prior year. However, 4th grade math proficiency collapsed from 30.6% to 14.7%, and most other subjects remain well below state averages. Both schools face significant challenges with chronic absenteeism (23-27% of students), and despite spending over $15,000 per student—substantial by any measure—academic outcomes remain in the bottom 10% statewide. The most critical intervention points appear to be the transition from elementary to middle school, where proficiency rates drop dramatically, and the persistent weakness in U.S. History instruction at the high school level.
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