Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 29902

Middle Schools in zip code 29902 consist of a single school, Beaufort Middle, which serves grades 6 through 8 in the Beaufort, SC area with an enrollment of 348 students.

Beaufort Middle is a school of striking contrasts, making it important for parents to look beyond overall rankings. The school is ranked 146th out of 335 South Carolina middle schools, placing it in the 56th percentile with a 3-star rating, a slight improvement from the previous year. Its greatest strength is in advanced coursework: students taking the Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam achieved a phenomenal 95.24% proficiency rate, which is 27 points higher than the Beaufort 01 district average and 21 points above the state. Similarly, 8th-grade English Language Arts proficiency is a standout at 72.7%, outperforming both district and state averages by more than 12 points. However, this excellence does not extend to all students. General math proficiency is a weakness, with only 29.1% of 7th graders and 35% of 6th graders meeting standards, both below state averages. This suggests a highly effective accelerated program for a select group of students while the broader student body struggles with standard curriculum.

The school benefits from substantial resources, including a very favorable student-teacher ratio of 9.1:1 and a high per-student expenditure of $22,884. Yet, the most pressing concern is a chronic absenteeism rate of 39.9%, which is nearly double the district rate of 21.3% and significantly higher than the state's 22.3%. This high absenteeism likely undermines the potential benefits of the school's low class sizes and funding. Year-over-year trends are mixed: 8th-grade ELA and math saw impressive gains of nearly 20 and 15 points respectively, while 7th-grade math and ELA declined. For parents, this means Beaufort Middle offers exceptional opportunities for high-achieving students, particularly in advanced math and 8th-grade literacy, but the school faces significant challenges in engaging its broader student population and addressing chronic absenteeism.