Laurens 55 School District

301 Hillcrest Drive
Laurens, SC 29360
(District boundaries shown in map)
3/
10
Bottom 50%

Top Rankings

Laurens 55 School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in South Carolina for:

Category
Attribute
Student Attention
Lowest student:teacher ratio (Top 1%)
For the 2025 school year, there are 4 public middle schools serving 2,060 students in Laurens 55 School District. This district's average middle testing ranking is 3/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public middle schools in South Carolina.
Public Middle Schools in Laurens 55 School District have an average math proficiency score of 20% (versus the South Carolina public middle school average of 33%), and reading proficiency score of 31% (versus the 46% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 41% of the student body (majority Black), which is less than the South Carolina public middle school average of 52% (majority Black).

Overview

This School District
This State (SC)
# Schools
9 Schools
352 Schools
# Students
5,206 Students
221,816 Students
# Teachers
419 Teachers
15,785 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
12:1
12:1

District Rank

Laurens 55 School District, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 76 school districts in South Carolina (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 80% has decreased from 81% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (SC)
#63 out of 81 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
This chart displays the overall district rank of Laurens 55  School District, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
25%
41%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Laurens 55  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of South Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
38%
52%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Laurens 55  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of South Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
35%
50%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Laurens 55  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of South Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
80%
84%
This chart displays public school graduation rate of Laurens 55  School District and public school graduation rate of South Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

0.64
0.66
# American Indian Students
7 Students
716 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
n/a
# Asian Students
11 Students
3,913 Students
% Asian Students
n/a
2%
# Hispanic Students
875 Students
28,487 Students
% Hispanic Students
17%
13%
# Black Students
1,461 Students
68,879 Students
% Black Students
28%
31%
# White Students
2,655 Students
106,747 Students
% White Students
51%
48%
# Hawaiian Students
13 Students
263 Students
% Hawaiian Students
n/a
n/a
# Two or more races Students
184 Students
12,741 Students
% of Two or more races Students
4%
6%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
289
1,376
# Students in K Grade:
417
4,750
# Students in 1st Grade:
407
4,911
# Students in 2nd Grade:
406
5,020
# Students in 3rd Grade:
371
5,182
# Students in 4th Grade:
338
5,185
# Students in 5th Grade:
337
5,841
# Students in 6th Grade:
354
53,112
# Students in 7th Grade:
362
59,443
# Students in 8th Grade:
385
60,172
# Students in 9th Grade:
456
4,774
# Students in 10th Grade:
388
4,352
# Students in 11th Grade:
333
3,992
# Students in 12th Grade:
363
3,706
# Ungraded Students:
-
-

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $14,732 in this school district is less than the state median of $15,220. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $13,865 is less than the state median of $14,817. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (SC)
Total Revenue
$77 MM
$12,084 MM
This chart displays total revenue of Laurens 55  School District and median value from total revenues of all school districts in South Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending
$72 MM
$11,764 MM
This chart displays total spending of Laurens 55  School District and median value from total spendings of all school districts in South Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Revenue / Student
$14,732
$15,220
This chart displays average revenue per public school student in Laurens 55  School District and average revenue per public school student of all school districts in South Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending / Student
$13,865
$14,817
This chart displays average spending per public school student in Laurens 55  School District and average spending per public school student of all school districts in South Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Best Laurens 55 School District Public Middle Schools (2025)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Hickory Tavern Elementary Middle School
(Math: 27% | Reading: 40%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
163 Neely Ferry Road
Gray Court, SC 29645
(864) 575-2126
Grades: PK-8
| 621 students
Rank: #22.
Gray Court-owings Elementary Middle School
(Math: 21% | Reading: 29%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
9210 Highway 14
Gray Court, SC 29645
(864) 876-2131
Grades: PK-8
| 755 students
Rank: #33.
Laurens Middle School
(Math: 18% | Reading: 29%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
1035 West Main Street
Laurens, SC 29360
(864) 984-2400
Grades: 6-8
| 395 students
Rank: #44.
Sanders Middle School
(Math: 12% | Reading: 23%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
609 Green Street
Laurens, SC 29360
(864) 984-0354
Grades: 6-8
| 289 students

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Quick Stats (2025)

  • District size: 9 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 5,206 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 12:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 49%
  • : 80% (Btm 50% in SC)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 25% (Btm 50%)
  • : 38% (Btm 50%)
  • : 35% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), SC Dept. of Education

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