Summary:
Middle Schools in zip code 29164 consist of a single school, A. L. Corbett Middle, serving grades 6 through 8 in the rural Wagener area of South Carolina, with a total enrollment of 203 students.
For parents considering this area, A. L. Corbett Middle is the only middle school option, and it faces significant academic challenges. The school consistently ranks in the bottom quarter of South Carolina middle schools, with its state percentile dropping from 25th in 2023-2024 to 18th in 2025-2026. The most pressing concern is mathematics proficiency, where scores are roughly half the state average across all grade levels—for example, only 17.7% of 7th graders are proficient in math compared to 41.8% statewide. English Language Arts performance is mixed: 7th grade proficiency (48.5%) is relatively close to the state average (59.5%), but 8th grade proficiency (36.9%) trails by a substantial 20 points. Science proficiency for 6th grade (41.4%) also lags behind the state average of 51.9%. Chronic absenteeism affects 22.4% of students, meaning more than one in five misses significant school time, which likely contributes to the academic struggles.
On a positive note, the school invests $9,755 per student and maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.5, suggesting smaller class sizes and available resources. However, the year-over-year data shows considerable volatility in test scores—7th grade ELA jumped from 29.1% to 48.5% proficiency in one year, while 8th grade ELA dropped from 46.2% to 36.9%—which may reflect small cohort sizes rather than consistent trends. The school is part of the Aiken 01 district, which ranks 37th out of 75 districts statewide. Overall, parents should be aware that while resources are present, the school's declining ranking and persistent math deficits indicate a need for targeted academic support and intervention.
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