Summary:
In zip code 29486, located in the Summerville area of South Carolina, there is exactly one middle school serving grades 5 through 8: Cane Bay Middle.
Cane Bay Middle is a large school with 1,464 students and a student-teacher ratio of 18:1. It is part of the Berkeley 01 district, which ranks in the top half of South Carolina districts. The school’s biggest strength is its advanced math program: students taking the Algebra 1 End-of-Course Exam achieved a remarkable 98.73% proficiency rate, far exceeding the district’s 65.63% and the state’s 73.95%. This suggests a highly effective accelerated math track for select students. However, standard math proficiency is a clear weakness, with scores in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade all falling below state averages (ranging from 36.8% to 41.7% proficient). In contrast, English Language Arts performance is solid, with all grade levels scoring near or above state averages, and 6th-grade science (55.5% proficient) also outpaces both district and state figures.
One notable finding is the large gap between the school’s exceptional Algebra 1 scores and its lower standard 8th-grade math scores, indicating that advanced students are well-served while the general math population may need more support. Math scores also show year-over-year volatility, suggesting instability in curriculum or testing cohorts. On a positive note, chronic absenteeism is 19.6%, better than both the district (23.9%) and state (22.3%), pointing to a healthy, engaging school climate. The school’s state ranking has slipped from 105th to 140th over three years, but it remains in the 58th percentile statewide, keeping it a solid mid-to-upper-tier choice for families in this area.
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