Bethune-bowman Middle/high, Rowesville SC

Original Research by School Decision on Bethune-bowman Middle/high

Bethune-Bowman Middle/High serves grades six through twelve as a regular public school in the Orangeburg County School District. The school is located in Rowesville, a very small, rural incorporated town in Orangeburg County that has experienced population decline over recent decades and is projected to continue contracting. The town itself covers a tiny footprint of land, is almost entirely residential, and offers little in the way of commercial or industrial activity; residents likely commute to Orangeburg or other nearby communities for work. The school building sits along Charleston Highway, a rural road that typifies the dispersed settlement pattern of the area rather than a walkable downtown core.

The student body is small for a combined middle and high school. The demographic composition is predominantly Black, with a notable Hispanic minority and smaller shares of White and Asian students. The entire student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the high economic need of the community. No data was available on the share of students receiving special education services or those classified as English learners, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about how those populations are supported.

State assessment results are available for grades six through eight in math, English language arts, and science. This is the only year of testing data on record, so no trend can be described. In math, the share of students meeting proficiency was low across all three middle grades, with the lowest figure in seventh grade. English language arts results were stronger than math but still below majority proficiency, with the eighth grade showing the highest performance. Science results were available only for sixth grade and were comparable to the lower end of the ELA range. Because the state changed its cut scores for ELA and science in this testing cycle, these results may not be directly comparable to prior years. No high school state testing results appear in the available data, so there is no picture of academic performance for grades nine through twelve. A parent looking at this school should seek out high school level assessment data and ask how the school tracks progress for its upper grades.

No graduation rate was reported, even though the school serves twelfth grade. This is a significant gap. A parent or resident should ask the school or district for the four-year graduation rate, as that is a core indicator for any high school. The school’s website or the district office would be the place to get this information.

Information on academic programs such as Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, career and technical education pathways, or extracurricular offerings was not provided. Given the school’s size and rural setting, the breadth of such offerings may be limited, but the absence of data means it is not possible to speak to them here. The district brief turned up no notable recent changes or initiatives, so there is no context for ongoing reforms or investments.

Bethune-Bowman Middle/High sits in a deeply rural, economically stressed community with a shrinking local population. The school itself serves a student body that is universally low-income and predominantly Black and Hispanic. Academic proficiency on state tests, at least in the middle grades, is low, with math a particular area of weakness. The absence of high school testing results, graduation data, and program information leaves several important questions unanswered. This setting may work for a family that values a very small, familiar environment and is prepared to advocate actively for resources and opportunities that are not guaranteed by the available record. A family placing a high priority on demonstrated academic outcomes or a wide array of course pathways would want to investigate further before enrolling.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 51 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

241 schools plotted. 4 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 615%

School 15% · District 19% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 74%

School 4% · District 13% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 87%

School 7% · District 13% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 620%

School 20% · District 34% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 724%

School 24% · District 40% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 35%

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

Science

Grade 615%

School 15% · District 25% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

This schoolOrangeburg, 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.