St. James Middle, Myrtle Beach SC

Original Research by School Decision on St. James Middle

St. James Middle is a regular public school serving students in sixth through eighth grade in the Horry 01 district, located in the heavily tourism-driven city of Myrtle Beach. The school sits within a fast-growing metropolitan area where the economy is dominated by hospitality, and the student population of the school is substantial for a middle school. The demographic profile shows a student body where a clear majority of students are white, with a notable Latino share and smaller Black and multiracial populations. A substantial share of students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a middle ground economically compared to the broader community’s mix of year-round residents and seasonal workers.

The most recent state testing data for St. James Middle shows a pattern where language arts is a distinct strength and mathematics is a softer area. In seventh-grade English language arts, a solid majority of students scored proficient or above, and eighth-grade results were also strong, though slightly lower. The math results are more moderate. Seventh-grade math proficiency was below half, and eighth-grade math was similar, with a small decline from the seventh-grade figure. The school has no state testing data for science or social studies from recent years; the available science and social studies results are from several years ago, which is too old to reflect current academic conditions. A parent considering this school should note that the math results are plainly lower than the ELA results, and they may want to ask the school what supports are in place for math instruction and whether any recent changes to the curriculum or testing cut scores have affected comparability.

The school is part of Horry County Schools, and the district did not appear to have any major recent changes that would alter the operating context for this school. The neighborhood comparison tool was unable to place St. James Middle relative to other schools in Horry County because the comparison set was too small to be applicable. Without that positioning, a family’s best reference point is the absolute performance levels described above and direct inquiry with the school about its own goals and trajectory.

Myrtle Beach itself is a resort city with a distinctive character. The permanent residential community coexists with a massive annual influx of visitors drawn to the beaches, golf courses, and entertainment strips. The Market Common District, redeveloped from a former air force base, offers a more urban town center with parks and trails, while the broader city is oriented around automobile travel along U.S. Route 17. Housing costs in the zip code are above the national median, and rents are high, reflecting the desirability of the coastal location and the volume of short-term rental demand. For a family living in this area, the school serves a middle-grade population that feeds into St. James High School. The peer environment is relatively economically mixed, and the academic picture suggests that a student who is strong in reading and writing will find the school meets them well, while a student who needs support in math will want to see that the school has a clear plan to address it. Families looking for a school where language arts proficiency is solid and where the student body is primarily white with some diversity in the Latino and multiracial categories should find the profile straightforward to evaluate.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 746%

School 46% · District 41% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 41% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 13 pts above state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 768%

School 68% · District 62% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 862%

School 62% · District 60% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Science

Grade 866%

School 66% · district not reported

▲ 18 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 780%

School 80% · District 72% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

This schoolHorry 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-income39%Higher-income64%26 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income60%Higher-income78%18 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income52%Higher-income72%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income48%Higher-income68%21 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income34%Higher-income58%24 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income29%Higher-income50%20 pp gap