C. E. Williams Middle School for Creative and Scientific Art, Charleston SC

Original Research by School Decision on C. E. Williams Middle School for Creative and Scientific Art

C. E. Williams Middle School for Creative and Scientific Art serves grades six through eight in Charleston, South Carolina, as a regular public school within the Charleston 01 district. Despite its name, data does not indicate whether it operates as a magnet or has a specialized admissions process; the school is classified as a regular public school, so families should confirm directly what the “Creative and Scientific Art” designation means in practice for curriculum and admissions.

The school is large for a middle school, with enrollment comfortably in the hundreds of students across three grades. Its student body is diverse: roughly two in five students are white, another two in five are Black, and the remainder includes Hispanic students, students of two or more races, and a small share of Asian and other backgrounds. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic need that is substantial but not the highest in the region. The housing market around the school reflects Charleston’s broader affordability pressures. Homes in the area are valued well above the national median, and rents are correspondingly high, meaning that for many families the cost of living is a significant factor in deciding where to live.

Academically, the school’s state assessment results present a mixed picture. In English language arts, roughly half of students at each grade level score at the proficient level or above, a performance that places the school around the middle of the pack when measured against South Carolina’s statewide expectations. Math proficiency is notably lower: about three in ten students meet the standard in seventh grade, and a similar share in sixth and eighth grades. This gap between reading and math is one a parent may want to ask the school about directly, particularly regarding how the school supports students who struggle in mathematics. Science results for sixth grade are comparable to the ELA figures, with roughly half of students proficient. A single data point for social studies from several years ago shows a higher proficiency rate, but that assessment used different cut scores and is too old to rely on as a current measure. Because only one year of comparable assessment data is available, there is no trend line to show whether performance is improving or declining.

As a middle school, C. E. Williams does not have a graduation rate. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, and course access were not provided, so a parent would need to seek that information from the school or district to get a full picture of the school environment. The neighbor comparison could not place this school’s performance relative to other Charleston County districts because the available cohort was too small to calculate a meaningful comparison.

The school sits within the city of Charleston, a place that blends historic tourism, port operations, aerospace industry, and a growing technology sector sometimes called Silicon Harbor. The city is growing steadily and has prioritized affordable housing, though the market remains expensive. The school itself is located in the West Ashley area, a suburban part of Charleston that offers a different feel from the dense historic peninsula. The Charleston 01 district did not have any major recent changes publicly reported that would be relevant to parents, such as boundary adjustments or new curriculum initiatives.

For a family considering this school, the main takeaway is that it offers a large, economically and racially diverse setting. Academic performance is mixed, with reading and science at a middling level and math a clear area of concern. The thematic name hints at arts or science-focused programming, but no details about those offerings were available in the data reviewed. A visit to the school and a conversation with staff about how the creative and scientific art focus is implemented, as well as about math support, would be the logical next steps for any family weighing this option.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 49% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 730%

School 30% · District 49% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 45% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 659%

School 59% · District 63% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 755%

School 55% · District 65% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 64% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Science

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 55% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 769%

School 69% · District 68% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolCharleston 01, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income47%Higher-income76%29 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income41%Higher-income74%33 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income43%Higher-income63%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income17%Higher-income55%38 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income15%Higher-income52%37 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income21%Higher-income48%27 pp gap