Summary:
Zip code 29910 in Bluffton, South Carolina, is served by two public middle schools—Bluffton Middle and H. E. McCracken Middle—both part of the Beaufort 01 district, which ranks in the top third of South Carolina districts.
For families comparing the two, Bluffton Middle is the more consistent performer, holding a 4-star rating for three straight years and ranking in the upper quartile of state middle schools. It posts stronger math scores across all grades (50-56% proficient vs. 49-53% at McCracken) and has significantly better attendance, with only 18.2% chronic absenteeism compared to McCracken's 25.9%. However, H. E. McCracken Middle is the rising star, jumping 27 spots in state ranking to reach a 4-star rating. It also offers a smaller student-teacher ratio (12.4:1 vs. 14.1:1) and spends $1,670 more per student, yet still trails Bluffton in overall performance—a spending paradox worth noting. Both schools achieve a perfect 100% proficiency rate on the Algebra 1 end-of-course exam, far exceeding district (67.9%) and state (74%) averages.
In English language arts, the schools are closely matched, with McCracken slightly ahead in 6th and 8th grades while Bluffton leads in 7th. Both outperform district and state averages in nearly every subject, particularly math, where the gap is often 8-15 points. Bluffton shows a declining trend as grade level increases, while McCracken's improvement is broad-based, with 8th grade math jumping 16.4 points year-over-year. Given McCracken's rapid gains and Bluffton's steady excellence, families in this area have two strong options, with the choice largely coming down to priorities: Bluffton for consistency and attendance, McCracken for smaller classes and upward momentum.
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