Is Bluffton Middle a good school?

Bluffton Middle ranks 80 th of 325 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Bluffton Middle?

In the 2023-24 school year, 917 students attended Bluffton Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Bluffton Middle?

Students at Bluffton Middle are 45% Hispanic, 39% White, 11% African American, 4% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Bluffton Middle attend?

Students who attend Bluffton Middle usually go on to attend May River High

Bluffton Middle

Summary:

Bluffton Middle is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in Bluffton, South Carolina, part of the Beaufort 01 school district. With a diverse student population, Bluffton Middle consistently outperforms the district and state in academic assessments, ranking among the top 25-30% of South Carolina middle schools.

Bluffton Middle's academic excellence is evident across multiple metrics. In the 2023-2024 school year, the school achieved 100% proficiency in Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2, compared to 76.85% for the district and 72.5% for the state. Its English Language Arts proficiency rates ranged from 52.2% to 62.8% across grades 6-8, higher than the district and state averages. The school also excels in supporting various student subgroups, ranking highly in the state for African American, Hispanic, White, English Language Learner, Low Socioeconomic Status, Disabled, and Gifted and Talented students.

Bluffton Middle's success is further highlighted by its proximity to other high-performing middle schools in the Beaufort 01 district, such as Hilton Head Island Middle and H.E. McCracken Middle. This suggests the district as a whole is able to provide quality educational opportunities across multiple schools. Bluffton Middle's high per-student spending and low student-teacher ratio may also contribute to its academic excellence and ability to serve diverse student populations effectively.

Detail:

Public 6-8

30 New Mustang Road
Bluffton, SC 29910

(843) 707-0700

District: Beaufort 01

SchoolDigger Rank:
80^th of 325 South Carolina Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,710

Students who attend Bluffton Middle usually attend:

High:

May River High

Feeder schools for Bluffton Middle:

Elementary:	Michael C. Riley Elementary
	Okatie Elementary
	Red Cedar Elementary

Student/teacher ratio: 14.0

Number of students: 917

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

45.3%

White:

38.6%

African American:

11.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 61.6%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare Bluffton Middle to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Bluffton Middle ranks better than 75.4% of middle schools in South Carolina. It also ranks first among 6 ranked middle schools in the Beaufort 01 School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 68.74. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Bluffton Middle has the largest middle school student body size in the Beaufort 01 School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (45.3%), White (38.6%), African American (11.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 61.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Bluffton Middle is 14, which is the highest among 6 middle schools in the Beaufort 01 School District! (See more...)

Compare Bluffton Middle employs 65.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Bluffton Middle is $13,710, which is the lowest among 6 middle schools in the Beaufort 01 School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Bluffton Middle:

SchoolDigger ranks Bluffton Middle 80^th of 325 South Carolina public middle schools. (See Bluffton Middle in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Gifted and Talented students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Beaufort 01:

SchoolDigger ranks Beaufort 01 26^th of 75 South Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Bluffton Middle

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Rank History for all students at Bluffton Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	SC State Percentile
2013	65.09	96^th	276	65.2%
2014	67.35	91^st	291	68.7%
2015	56.92	114^th	301	62.1%
2016	65.38	91^st	303	70.0%
2017	57.51	123^rd	317	61.2%
2018	51.95	127^th	303	58.1%
2019	58.58	112^th	315	64.4%
2021	68.75	83^rd	311	73.3%
2022	69.65	80^th	310	74.2%
2023	65.68	96^th	325	70.5%
2024	68.74	80^th	325	75.4%

See the entire list of South Carolina Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Bluffton Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	39.76	58^th	93	37.6%
2019	35.53	80^th	117	31.6%
2021	59.80	28^th	87	67.8%
2022	67.16	24^th	97	75.3%
2023	53.90	34^th	95	64.2%
2024	56.20	35^th	105	66.7%

See the entire list of Best South Carolina Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Bluffton Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	60.90	85^th	280	69.6%
2019	61.21	88^th	289	69.6%
2021	79.63	41^st	288	85.8%
2022	76.21	56^th	300	81.3%
2023	74.48	65^th	313	79.2%
2024	67.85	69^th	307	77.5%

See the entire list of Best South Carolina Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Bluffton Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	53.28	121^st	281	56.9%
2019	65.33	88^th	296	70.3%
2021	70.09	74^th	279	73.5%
2022	72.57	68^th	290	76.6%
2023	67.07	84^th	299	71.9%
2024	66.65	82^nd	294	72.1%

See the entire list of Best South Carolina Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Bluffton Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	45.23	101^st	194	47.9%
2019	42.57	103^rd	195	47.2%
2021	47.26	67^th	164	59.1%
2022	62.66	47^th	183	74.3%
2023	62.28	50^th	187	73.3%
2024	64.67	41^st	177	76.8%

See the entire list of Best South Carolina Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Bluffton Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	SC State Percentile
2021	61.18	79^th	179	55.9%
2022	68.79	54^th	182	70.3%
2023	65.58	71^st	185	61.6%
2024	75.91	30^th	183	83.6%

See the entire list of Best South Carolina Middle Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for Male students at Bluffton Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	50.73	125^th	284	56.0%
2019	52.23	125^th	296	57.8%
2021	66.39	81^st	279	71.0%
2022	65.35	87^th	292	70.2%
2023	61.77	102^nd	303	66.3%
2024	68.52	79^th	294	73.1%

See the entire list of Best South Carolina Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Bluffton Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	64.01	50^th	237	78.9%
2019	63.77	61^st	252	75.8%
2021	78.00	28^th	235	88.1%
2022	68.31	45^th	249	81.9%
2023	68.47	52^nd	253	79.4%
2024	71.39	40^th	248	83.9%

See the entire list of Best South Carolina Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Bluffton Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	38.93	85^th	123	30.9%
2019	39.42	93^rd	139	33.1%
2021	59.16	44^th	111	60.4%
2022	61.77	44^th	129	65.9%
2023	52.16	61^st	141	56.7%
2024	55.61	60^th	144	58.3%

See the entire list of Best South Carolina Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Bluffton Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	67.40	72^nd	250	71.2%
2019	76.36	55^th	258	78.7%
2021	80.45	38^th	244	84.4%
2022	80.71	42^nd	249	83.1%
2023	77.68	48^th	260	81.5%
2024	79.35	52^nd	255	79.6%

See the entire list of Best South Carolina Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: South Carolina Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: South Carolina State Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Bluffton Middle

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2011	439	163	15	234	1	1	18	871
2012	466	162	15	244	2	0	23	912
2013	505	174	12	285	5	0	28	1009
2014	532	164	10	332	4	1	32	1075
2015	516	153	8	328	2	2	25	1034
2016	406	114	10	352	1	1	33	917
2017	267	98	6	347	1	1	31	751
2018	253	100	5	373	2	1	32	766
2019	267	107	7	372	1	0	32	786
2020	303	103	13	409	0	0	30	858
2021	301	86	16	384	1	0	35	823
2022	315	105	13	407	3	0	28	871
2023	323	118	11	391	0	0	29	872
2024	354	104	6	415	0	0	38	917

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Bluffton Middle

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2011	871	53.0	16.4	44.4
2012	912	53.0	17.2	43.1
2013	1009	63.5	15.8	53.1
2014	1075	67.0	16.0	44.4
2015	1034	66.0	15.6	46.1
2016	917	61.0	15.0	53.7
2017	751	50.0	15.0	54.7
2018	766	53.5	14.3	55.5
2019	786	53.0	14.8	57.6
2020	858	53.0	16.1	57.6
2021	823	59.5	13.8	58.4
2022	871	59.5	14.6	49.6
2023	872	60.5	14.4	45
2024	917	65.5	14.0	61.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Bluffton Middle

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2011	871	53.0	16.4	44.4
2012	912	53.0	17.2	43.1
2013	1009	63.5	15.8	53.1
2014	1075	67.0	16.0	44.4
2015	1034	66.0	15.6	46.1
2016	917	61.0	15.0	53.7
2017	751	50.0	15.0	54.7
2018	766	53.5	14.3	55.5
2019	786	53.0	14.8	57.6
2020	858	53.0	16.1	57.6
2021	823	59.5	13.8	58.4
2022	871	59.5	14.6	49.6
2023	872	60.5	14.4	45
2024	917	65.5	14.0	61.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Bluffton Middle

Year	Personnel Expenditures from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Expenditures from Federal Funds	Total Expenditures from Federal Funds	Personnel Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$121 (1.1%)	$520 (4.8%)	$641 (5.9%)	$8,135 (74.6%)	$2,135 (19.6%)	$10,270 (94.1%)	$10,911
2020	$137 (1.3%)	$85 (0.8%)	$222 (2.0%)	$8,294 (76.0%)	$2,400 (22.0%)	$10,694 (98.0%)	$10,916
2021	$117 (1.1%)	$504 (4.6%)	$620 (5.6%)	$8,280 (75.3%)	$2,089 (19.0%)	$10,368 (94.3%)	$10,989
2022	$259 (2.1%)	$903 (7.4%)	$1,162 (9.6%)	$9,160 (75.4%)	$1,833 (15.1%)	$10,993 (90.4%)	$12,155
2023	$500 (3.6%)	$1,259 (9.2%)	$1,759 (12.8%)	$9,454 (69.0%)	$2,496 (18.2%)	$11,950 (87.2%)	$13,710

Data source: South Carolina Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Bluffton Middle

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 112^th of 315 Middle schools	Ranks 96^th of 325 Middle schools	6%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade Science (Bluffton Middle)	56	57.9	1.9%
6th Grade Science (Beaufort 01)	48.5	44.2	4.3%
6th Grade Science (South Carolina)	47.1	43	4.1%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Bluffton Middle)	44.8	63.6	18.8%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Beaufort 01)	42.5	55.7	13.2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (South Carolina)	41.1	53.4	12.3%
6th Grade Mathematics (Bluffton Middle)	50.9	48.6	2.3%
6th Grade Mathematics (Beaufort 01)	47.5	38.9	8.6%
6th Grade Mathematics (South Carolina)	43.9	36.7	7.2%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Bluffton Middle)	37.3	49.5	12.2%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Beaufort 01)	43.7	49.6	5.9%
7th Grade English Language Arts (South Carolina)	44	50.1	6.1%
7th Grade Mathematics (Bluffton Middle)	35.7	26.8	8.9%
7th Grade Mathematics (Beaufort 01)	37.5	29.5	8%
7th Grade Mathematics (South Carolina)	35.3	31	4.3%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Bluffton Middle)	49.4	54.9	5.5%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Beaufort 01)	45.4	50.8	5.4%
8th Grade English Language Arts (South Carolina)	44.5	53.1	8.6%
8th Grade Mathematics (Bluffton Middle)	42.2	34.2	8%
8th Grade Mathematics (Beaufort 01)	37.8	28.3	9.5%
8th Grade Mathematics (South Carolina)	36.6	31.6	5%
End of Course Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (Bluffton Middle)	100	100
End of Course Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (Beaufort 01)	80.1	71.2	8.9%
End of Course Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (South Carolina)	68.6	68.3	0.3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	786	872	10.9%
African American	107	118	10.3%
American Indian	1	0	100%
Asian	7	11	57.1%
Hispanic	372	391	5.1%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	267	323	21%
Two or More Races	32	29	9.4%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	57.6%	45%	12.7%

Schools Near Bluffton Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				SC READY English Language Arts (2024)			SC READY Mathematics (2024)			EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SC READY English Language Arts 6th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 8th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 7th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 8th Grade	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Bluffton Middle	Public	6-8	30 New Mustang Road	Bluffton	29910	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 707-0700	917	66	14.0	61.6%	354 (38.6%)	104 (11.3%)	415 (45.3%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (4.1%)	68.7	80^th of 325 public middle schools	75.4%		65.7	96^th of 325 public middle schools	70.5%	16	62.8	57.9	52.2	55.7	37.7	28.0	100.0	$13,710	$500	$1,259	$1,759	$9,454	$2,496	$11,950
H. E. McCracken Middle	Public	6-8	250 H. E. McCracken Circle	Bluffton	29910	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 706-8700	892	71	12.5	51.7%	454 (50.9%)	87 (9.8%)	286 (32.1%)	14 (1.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	49 (5.5%)	62	112^th of 325 public middle schools	65.5%		64.6	100^th of 325 public middle schools	69.2%	12	54.3	52.9	51.5	42.2	39.0	32.8	100.0	$14,781	$488	$1,260	$1,748	$10,522	$2,511	$13,034
Hilton Head Island Middle	Public	6-8	55 Wilborn Road	Hilton Head Island	29926	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 689-4500	831	71	11.7	57.6%	269 (32.4%)	108 (13.0%)	404 (48.6%)	12 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (4.5%)	57.2	123^rd of 325 public middle schools	62.2%		55.3	126^th of 325 public middle schools	61.2%	3	48.2	53.2	49.6	38.1	43.6	28.0	100.0	$15,567	$747	$1,126	$1,873	$11,229	$2,464	$13,693
Beaufort Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	2501 Mossy Oaks Boulevard	Beaufort	29902	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	Yes	No	No	(843) 322-5700	371	42	8.8	100.0%	134 (36.1%)	155 (41.8%)	48 (12.9%)	6 (1.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (7.0%)	51.5	146^th of 325 public middle schools	55.1%		40.6	186^th of 325 public middle schools	42.8%	40	61.3	49.6	48.5	35.6	24.5	24.2		$20,941	$1,220	$1,660	$2,880	$14,272	$3,789	$18,060
Lady's Island Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	30 Cougar Drive	Beaufort	29907	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 322-3167	418	50	8.3	100.0%	122 (29.2%)	209 (50.0%)	54 (12.9%)	7 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.2%)	43.7	170^th of 325 public middle schools	47.7%		28	233^rd of 325 public middle schools	28.3%	63	52.1	43.3	48.5	35.4	21.8	22.6		$18,910	$1,576	$1,620	$3,196	$12,053	$3,661	$15,714

Bluffton Middle

Bluffton Middle:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Beaufort 01:

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Rank History for Bluffton Middle

Rank History for all students at Bluffton Middle

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Bluffton Middle

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Bluffton Middle

Rank History for Female students at Bluffton Middle

Rank History for Disabled students at Bluffton Middle

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Bluffton Middle

Rank History for Male students at Bluffton Middle

Rank History for African American students at Bluffton Middle

Rank History for Hispanic students at Bluffton Middle

Rank History for White students at Bluffton Middle

Enrollment information for Bluffton Middle

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Bluffton Middle

Student/Teacher Ratio Bluffton Middle

Per Pupil Expenditures for Bluffton Middle

Impact of COVID-19 on Bluffton Middle

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Bluffton Middle

Bluffton Middle

H. E. McCracken Middle

Hilton Head Island Middle

Beaufort Middle

Lady's Island Middle

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