Summary:
Zip code 29153 in Sumter, South Carolina, is served by two middle schools—Ebenezer Middle and Chestnut Oaks Middle—both part of the Sumter 01 district, which ranks in the bottom 11% of districts statewide. Both schools serve grades 6-8 with similar enrollments (352 and 339 students, respectively), but they differ significantly in performance, resources, and challenges.
Ebenezer Middle is the stronger of the two schools across nearly every academic metric. It consistently ranks higher in state percentile (10th vs. 3rd in 2025-2026) and outperforms Chestnut Oaks in most subjects. For example, in 6th grade ELA, Ebenezer posts a 34.4% proficiency rate versus Chestnut Oaks' 19.4%, and in 6th grade math, the gap is even wider (18.8% vs. 6.5%). Ebenezer also has a lower chronic absenteeism rate (32.8% vs. 46.4%) and a better student-teacher ratio (13.0 vs. 16.1). Interestingly, Chestnut Oaks actually spends more per student ($16,083 vs. $13,950) yet performs worse, suggesting that additional funding is not translating into better outcomes. Chestnut Oaks ranks in the bottom 3% of all South Carolina middle schools and shows a declining trajectory, with math proficiency as low as 6.5% in 6th grade.
Both schools face serious challenges relative to state averages. Chronic absenteeism is a critical issue—Chestnut Oaks' 46.4% rate means nearly half its students are chronically absent, compared to the state average of 22.3%. Math is the greatest area of concern, with proficiency gaps of 20-34 percentage points below state levels. Even within the already struggling Sumter 01 district, both schools generally underperform district averages, though Ebenezer's 6th grade science proficiency (35.9%) slightly exceeds the district average (35.2%), offering a rare bright spot. For families, Ebenezer Middle is clearly the stronger choice academically, but both schools have substantial room for improvement in math, attendance, and overall achievement.
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