Summary:
Zip code 29670 in Pendleton, South Carolina, is home to one middle school, Riverside Middle, which serves grades 7 and 8 with an enrollment of 453 students.
Riverside Middle stands out as a high-performing school within the highly rated Anderson 04 district, which holds a 5-star rating and ranks in the 95th percentile statewide. The school has maintained a stable state ranking between 37th and 38th out of roughly 320-335 middle schools over three consecutive years, placing it in the 88th-89th percentile. Its most remarkable achievement is a near-perfect 99.99% proficiency rate on the Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam, far exceeding the district's 86.7% and the state's 73.95% averages. In mathematics, the school showed dramatic improvement, with 8th-grade proficiency jumping 18.2 points from 48.7% to 66.9% between 2024-25 and 2025-26, while 7th-grade math improved 6.9 points to 64.6%. Both grades outperform state math averages by 22-23 percentage points. English Language Arts scores are also strong, with 7th-grade at 73% and 8th-grade at 71.1% proficiency, consistently beating state averages by 12-15 points.
The school maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 14.1:1 and invests $16,037 per student, which likely supports its small class sizes and strong outcomes. Chronic absenteeism stands at 14.6%, notably below the district's 17.0% and the state's 22.3%, suggesting a positive school culture that supports consistent attendance. While ELA performance is solid, it trails the school's exceptional math results relative to state benchmarks, indicating a potential area for future focus. Overall, Riverside Middle offers reliable, high-quality education with particularly outstanding mathematics outcomes and advanced coursework preparation, making it an excellent choice for families in the Pendleton area.
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