The top reported proficiency rate is 48% in English language arts. The lowest is 23% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Kingstree Middle Magnet
Kingstree Middle Magnet serves students in grades six through eight in the small rural county seat of Kingstree, South Carolina. It is a regular public school within the Williamsburg 01 district, and its name includes “magnet” though the data does not indicate whether it is actively operating a magnet program or what theme that program follows. The school’s enrollment is moderate for a middle school, with a roughly even split across the three grade levels.
On state assessments, Kingstree Middle Magnet shows a clear split between English language arts and math. In ELA, roughly half of students met the state’s proficiency standard in each grade, a solid middle-of-the-road result. Math results are notably weaker: in grade six about a third of students were proficient, while in grades seven and eight that figure dropped to well under one in five. Science results, available only for grade six, also fell below half. Social studies data was available only from a previous year and is too old to reflect current performance. The school has only a single year of test results in the most recent assessment format, so no trend direction can be determined. A parent will want to ask the school directly how it supports students who are behind in math and what interventions are in place for the grades where proficiency is especially low.
The student body is overwhelmingly African American, with a small number of white, multiracial, Hispanic, and Asian students. Every single student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a level of economic concentration that tells you the school serves a community of very high poverty. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported; a family with a child in either category would want to confirm the school’s staffing and services directly.
Kingstree itself is a declining town. The population has been shrinking for several years, the local poverty rate is high, and median household income is low. Housing is well below state and national values, making it one of the most affordable areas in South Carolina. The town has a historic downtown, a county courthouse, an annual Pig Pickin’ Festival, and the Black River as recreational anchors, but its economy is dominated by local government and lacks major private employers. For a family moving into the area, the low cost of housing is a clear draw, but the economic base offers limited job growth.
The Williamsburg 01 district has recently restructured two of its elementary schools into themed academies (a STEAM academy and a leadership academy), signaling a district-level push toward specialized programming at the elementary level. At the same time, the district’s high school graduation rate has declined over several years, a trend that middle-school families should be aware of as it points to challenges that may affect students as they move through the system.
Kingstree Middle Magnet is a school where a family with a strong preference for small-town, rural life and very affordable housing will find a manageable middle school with a majority of students meeting ELA standards but clear soft spots in math and science. The economic disadvantages are stark, and the district’s academic trajectory bears watching. A parent looking into this school will want to ask about math interventions, the nature of the magnet program (if it is active), and how the school supports students in the transition to high school given the district’s graduation trend. There is no comparison data from other Williamsburg County districts because this is the only district in the county, so families will need to look further afield—to neighboring counties or to state-level benchmarks—to gauge how Kingstree Middle Magnet’s results stack up against a broader set of schools.
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