Summary:
In zip code 29649, located in Greenwood, SC, there is just one middle school serving grades 6 through 8: Northside Middle, which is part of the highly-rated Greenwood 50 school district.
For parents considering Northside Middle, the school shows a promising upward trend in its overall state ranking, climbing from the 30th percentile two years ago to the 55th percentile this year. The school's biggest academic strength is in advanced math, with an 88% pass rate on the Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam—14 points above the state average. Additionally, the student-teacher ratio of 12.4 is favorable, suggesting smaller class sizes and more individualized attention. Per-student spending is also solid at $13,463. However, there are two major concerns. First, chronic absenteeism is very high at 29.8%, compared to 22.6% for the district and 22.3% for the state. Second, there is a significant drop in performance in 8th grade, particularly in math, where only 30.8% of 8th graders are proficient versus 44.2% statewide. This is a stark contrast to the strong performance in 6th and 7th grade math, where students actually outperform the state average.
Another key takeaway is the inconsistency in test scores from year to year. For example, 7th-grade English Language Arts proficiency jumped from 41.9% to 63.5% in just one year, which could indicate a particularly strong cohort or changes in instruction. While the school is clearly improving overall, the combination of high absenteeism and the 8th-grade slump in core subjects are critical areas that parents should watch closely. The school's ability to sustain its positive momentum will likely depend on addressing these challenges, especially in preparing students for the more rigorous 8th-grade curriculum.
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