Summary:
Zip code 29556 in Kingstree, SC is served by a single middle school, Kingstree Middle Magnet, which enrolls 341 students in grades 6 through 8 and is part of the Williamsburg 01 school district.
For parents considering this area, the most important takeaway is that Kingstree Middle Magnet invests heavily in its students—spending $17,785 per pupil and maintaining a favorable 11.3:1 student-teacher ratio—yet academic outcomes remain a serious concern. The school’s state ranking has declined for three straight years, falling from the 34th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 21st percentile in 2025-2026, and it currently holds a 1-star rating. Test scores show a mixed but generally weak picture: in 2025-2026, 7th-grade ELA proficiency reached 52.9% and 8th-grade ELA hit 52.5%, both above the district average, but 6th-grade ELA dropped sharply to 35.5%. Math is the most critical weakness, with only 15% of 6th graders, 26% of 7th graders, and 23.3% of 8th graders scoring proficient—far below the state average of roughly 40-44%. Science proficiency for 6th graders also lags at 28.6% versus the state’s 51.9%.
Perhaps the most alarming statistic is chronic absenteeism: 31.5% of students are chronically absent, nearly 10 points higher than the state average of 22.3%, though slightly better than the district’s 35.6%. This high absenteeism likely undermines the school’s resource advantages. Performance also varies significantly by grade level, suggesting that certain cohorts or teachers have outsized impacts. While the school’s spending and small class sizes are positive structural factors, the combination of declining rankings, weak math scores, and persistent absenteeism indicates that Kingstree Middle Magnet needs targeted interventions to reverse its downward trajectory and better serve its students.
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