The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in Social studies. The lowest is 27% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Sims Middle
Sims Middle is a regular public school serving grades six through eight in Union, South Carolina, within the Union 01 district. The school is located on a main highway just outside the city’s downtown core. Union itself is a small county-seat city in the piedmont region, historically centered on textile manufacturing and lumbering. The city’s population has declined over the past two decades, and the housing stock is predominantly older single-family homes with a notable vacancy rate. Median household income in Union is low, and a substantial share of residents live below the poverty line. The community’s racial composition is roughly evenly split between Black and White residents. Major local employers include a staffing firm, a Walmart, a healthcare system, and a university satellite campus. The school draws its students from a district that covers the city and surrounding parts of Union County.
The student body is about evenly divided between White students and Black students, with a smaller group of students who identify as two or more races and a very small Hispanic population. Every enrolled student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a high-poverty context. This universal eligibility is a key factor in understanding the school’s resource environment, though data on special education identification and English learner status was not available in the records reviewed.
State testing results for the 2024-25 school year show a varied picture across subjects and grades. In math, proficiency rates were similar across all three grades, with roughly a quarter to a little more than a quarter of students scoring at the proficient or above level. In English language arts, the performance was more varied. Seventh graders posted a noticeably stronger result, with over half of students meeting proficiency, while sixth and eighth graders were below that mark. Science results, available only for sixth grade, showed about two out of five students proficient. A single year of data from an earlier, now-discontinued social studies assessment showed a higher proficiency rate, but that assessment is no longer administered, so it is not directly comparable to current results. Because the state changed its cut scores for ELA and science in recent years, caution is warranted in comparing these results to prior years.
The school’s academic trends data contains only a single year of results, so there is no multi-year trajectory to evaluate. The comparison with other districts in Union County could not be made because the cohort of districts was too small for a meaningful benchmark. A parent may want to ask the school directly how its current scores compare to state averages and what the school’s improvement plan looks like.
No information was available about the school’s discipline record, staffing levels, chronic absenteeism rate, or course access. These are significant gaps for a family evaluating the daily environment for their child. A parent may want to visit the school and speak with the principal or guidance counselor about school climate, the availability of elective courses, and how the school supports students with different academic needs. The district brief indicated that a search for recent district-level changes such as budget shifts or leadership turnover turned up little of lasting impact, so no notable disruptions or new initiatives were found for Union 01.
Housing in the area is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks, with home values well below the typical South Carolina home. The area’s unemployment rate was near the national average at the time of review, and mortgage rates were in the mid-six-percent range nationally, which gives a general sense of the economic climate for homebuyers. For a family considering a move, the lower home prices in Union may be balanced against the district’s limited academic performance data and the high level of economic need among the student population. Sims Middle is a school that serves a community with significant challenges, and its test results suggest that many students are still developing core academic skills. A family prioritizing strong academic metrics may want to investigate further, while a family comfortable with a school that reflects its local community’s economic realities may find the school a reasonable fit.
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