Summary:
In zip code 29138, there is exactly one middle school, Saluda Middle, serving grades 6 through 8 with 537 students in the Saluda 01 district.
For parents considering this area, Saluda Middle presents a mixed picture. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom third of South Carolina middle schools over the past three years, with a percentile rank between 20th and 28th. However, there are bright spots. The school reports a remarkable 100% proficiency rate on the Algebra 1 End-of-Course Examination for the 2024-2025 school year, far exceeding the district average of 44.53% and the state average of 73.95%. This likely reflects a select group of advanced students, but it shows the school can produce exceptional results. Additionally, chronic absenteeism is a positive indicator at 15.1%, well below the state average of 22.3%, suggesting students are consistently attending school.
Academically, there is a clear divide between subjects. English Language Arts proficiency is notably stronger than mathematics across all grade levels. For example, in the 2025-2026 school year, 6th-grade ELA proficiency was 44.4% compared to just 20.5% in math. Encouragingly, the school showed significant year-over-year improvement from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026 in nearly every subject and grade. Eighth-grade ELA jumped from 40.4% to 54% proficiency, and 7th-grade math improved from 14.1% to 27.6%. With a student-teacher ratio of 13.7 and per-student spending of $11,070, the school has reasonable resources. Since Saluda Middle is the only middle school in the Saluda 01 district, its performance directly defines the district's middle school metrics, making it the sole focus for families in this zip code.
Thank you for your feedback!