Summary:
Zip code 29301 in Spartanburg, SC, is served by a single middle school, Fairforest Middle, which enrolls 1,007 students in grades 6 through 8 as part of the Spartanburg 06 district.
Fairforest Middle is the only option for families in this area, so its performance defines the local educational landscape. The school has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.2 and spends a substantial $12,414 per student, yet academic outcomes lag significantly behind state averages. In 2025-2026, English Language Arts proficiency ranged from 39.9% in 6th grade to 45% in 8th grade, trailing the state by nearly 15 points on average. Math proficiency is even more concerning, with only 23.4% to 27.7% of students meeting standards—a gap of over 16 points. Science proficiency for 6th graders is just 25.9%, a striking 26-point deficit compared to the state's 51.9% average. The school's state ranking has also declined for three consecutive years, dropping from the 22nd percentile in 2023-2024 to the 17th percentile in 2025-2026, placing it at 277th out of 335 schools.
Despite these challenges, there is a notable bright spot: 8th-grade scores improved dramatically from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, with ELA proficiency rising from 32.6% to 45% and math from 16.4% to 27.7%. This suggests recent interventions may be gaining traction. However, chronic absenteeism remains a serious concern, with 23.9% of students missing significant school time—higher than the state average of 22.3%, though slightly better than the district's 26.1%. For parents, this school offers small class sizes and strong per-student funding, but the persistent gaps in math and science, combined with a declining ranking and high absenteeism, indicate that academic support and attendance initiatives should be top priorities when considering this school.
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