Buford Middle

Summary:

Buford Middle is a public middle school in Lancaster, South Carolina, serving 373 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Lancaster 01 school district, which is ranked 30 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Buford Middle consistently outperforms the Lancaster 01 district and the state of South Carolina in academic assessments, with 100% of students proficient or better in EOCEP/Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 in the 2023-2024 school year, compared to 77.03% for the district and 72.5% for the state. However, the school has a significantly higher percentage of white students (85.25%) compared to nearby schools, such as Indian Land Middle, which have more diverse student populations. Buford Middle also has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 43.32% to 63.27% over the past few years, suggesting a higher proportion of students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Buford Middle's lower student-teacher ratio, ranging from 13.2 to 15.7 over the past few years, is a notable strength compared to the nearby schools, which have ratios around 15-16 students per teacher. While Buford Middle outperforms the district and state averages, some of the nearby schools, particularly Indian Land Middle, demonstrate even stronger academic performance and higher rankings. The racial disparity and high free/reduced lunch rates at Buford Middle suggest areas for further investigation and potential support to address socioeconomic challenges faced by the school's student population.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 1890 North Rocky River Road
       Lancaster, SC  29720


(803) 285-8473

District: Lancaster 01

SchoolDigger Rank:
77th of 325 South Carolina Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $11,966 Help


Students who attend Buford Middle usually attend:

High:    Lancaster High

Feeder schools for Buford Middle:

Elementary:    North Elementary

Student/teacher ratio:  13.2 Help
Number of students:  373

Racial breakdown:

White:
85.3%
African American:
6.7%
Hispanic:
4.8%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  63.3% Help


 See top rated South Carolina middle schools

 Compare Buford Middle to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Buford Middle ranks better than 76.3% of middle schools in South Carolina. It also ranks 2nd among 5 ranked middle schools in the Lancaster 01 School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 70.37. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Buford Middle has the smallest middle school student body size in the Lancaster 01 School District. Racial makeup is: White (85.3%), African American (6.7%), Hispanic (4.8%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 63.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Buford Middle is 13.2, which is the lowest among 6 middle schools in the Lancaster 01 School District! (See more...)
Help
Compare Buford Middle employs 28.2 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Buford Middle is $11,966, which is the highest among 6 middle schools in the Lancaster 01 School District!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Buford Middle:

SchoolDigger ranks Buford Middle 77th of 325 South Carolina public middle schools. (See Buford Middle in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Disabled students:
Gifted and Talented students:
Male students:
White students:


Lancaster 01:

SchoolDigger ranks Lancaster 01 30th of 75 South Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Buford Middle

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Buford Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 54.46 107th 225 52.4%
2004 53.51 119th 230 48.3%
2005 61.44 101st 230 56.1%
2006 51.31 127th 231 45.0%
2007 48.76 140th 236 40.7%
2008 46.07 153rd 244 37.3%
2009 46.13 152nd 249 39.0%
2010 45.60 164th 261 37.2%
2011 37.67 190th 269 29.4%
2012 42.83 172nd 271 36.5%
2013 47.40 156th 276 43.5%
2014 54.55 132nd 291 54.6%
2015 50.15 148th 301 50.8%
2016 50.88 148th 303 51.2%
2017 44.78 173rd 317 45.4%
2018 47.33 149th 303 50.8%
2019 49.91 143rd 315 54.6%
2021 56.93 123rd 311 60.5%
2022 53.14 134th 310 56.8%
2023 40.29 189th 325 41.8%
2024 70.37 77th 325 76.3%
See the entire list of South Carolina Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Buford Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 38.30 171st 280 38.9%
2019 50.99 125th 289 56.7%
2021 54.63 113th 288 60.8%
2022 57.64 102nd 300 66.0%
2023 45.62 157th 313 49.8%
2024 77.59 46th 307 85.0%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Buford Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 45.98 153rd 281 45.6%
2019 52.47 135th 296 54.4%
2021 62.68 98th 279 64.9%
2022 56.05 109th 290 62.4%
2023 33.33 204th 299 31.8%
2024 66.09 87th 294 70.4%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Buford Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 67.68 37th 194 80.9%
2019 69.28 34th 195 82.6%
2021 58.30 47th 164 71.3%
2022 69.73 29th 183 84.2%
2023 37.55 112th 187 40.1%
2024 74.93 21st 177 88.1%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Buford Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 49.09 118th 179 34.1%
2022 32.06 150th 182 17.6%
2023 17.40 168th 185 9.2%
2024 45.26 129th 183 29.5%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Middle Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for Male students at Buford Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 48.13 136th 284 52.1%
2019 48.75 136th 296 54.1%
2021 51.20 124th 279 55.6%
2022 48.99 135th 292 53.8%
2023 48.46 141st 303 53.5%
2024 72.23 67th 294 77.2%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Buford Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 23.83 195th 250 22.0%
2019 24.58 200th 258 22.5%
2021 32.44 164th 244 32.8%
2022 28.72 183rd 249 26.5%
2023 20.20 215th 260 17.3%
2024 45.71 138th 255 45.9%
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.

Buford Middle Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: South Carolina State Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Buford Middle

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1994 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 451 451
1995 375 80 0 1 0 n/a n/a 0 456
1996 375 80 0 1 0 n/a n/a 0 456
1997 373 75 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 448
1998 390 64 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 454
1999 444 77 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 521
2000 467 73 1 0 1 n/a n/a 0 542
2001 501 80 1 0 1 n/a n/a 0 583
2002 391 56 0 0 5 n/a n/a 0 452
2003 391 56 0 0 5 n/a n/a 0 452
2004 383 48 0 1 5 n/a n/a 1 438
2005 400 59 0 3 3 n/a n/a 0 465
2006 380 61 0 7 0 n/a n/a 0 448
2007 399 55 3 6 0 n/a n/a 0 463
2008 371 55 6 4 0 n/a n/a 1 437
2009 399 42 7 2 0 n/a n/a 1 451
2010 389 44 5 3 2 n/a n/a 2 445
2011 436 32 3 5 1 0 14 0 491
2012 437 31 3 9 2 0 13 0 495
2013 423 30 2 9 1 0 10 0 475
2014 409 28 2 9 2 0 9 0 459
2015 375 39 0 5 0 0 8 0 427
2016 362 42 0 7 0 0 7 0 418
2017 360 28 0 6 0 0 5 0 399
2018 371 28 0 6 1 0 4 0 410
2019 392 24 0 10 3 0 7 0 436
2020 391 27 0 11 2 0 6 0 437
2021 378 33 0 16 2 0 5 0 434
2022 359 28 0 13 1 0 9 0 410
2023 318 25 0 18 1 0 11 0 373

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 Buford Middle

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1994 451 20.0 22.5 22.6
1995 456 31.5 14.5 29.2
1996 456 31.5 14.5 29.2
1997 448 30.0 14.9 25.4
1998 454 32.0 14.2 26
1999 521 32.2 16.2 31.1
2000 542 30.0 18.1 32.1
2001 583 35.0 16.7 37.6
2002 452 27.0 16.7 34.7
2003 452 27.0 16.7 34.7
2004 438 26.8 16.3 38.9
2005 465 26.5 17.5 34.2
2006 448 27.5 16.3 36.2
2007 463 38.8 11.9 43.4
2008 437 27.8 15.7 47.5
2009 451 23.8 18.9 41.6
2010 445 27.0 16.4 48.8
2011 491 26.0 18.8 50.7
2012 495 26.0 19.0 52.1
2013 475 26.4 17.9 50.3
2014 459 26.4 17.3 49.2
2015 427 26.0 16.4 48.5
2016 418 26.0 16.0 46.9
2017 399 26.4 15.1 47.1
2018 410 25.6 16.0 46.1
2019 436 25.6 17.0 50.5
2020 437 28.0 15.6 46.2
2021 434 27.6 15.7 43.3
2022 410 27.1 15.1 48.3
2023 373 28.2 13.2 63.3

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 Buford Middle

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1994 451 20.0 22.5 22.6
1995 456 31.5 14.5 29.2
1996 456 31.5 14.5 29.2
1997 448 30.0 14.9 25.4
1998 454 32.0 14.2 26
1999 521 32.2 16.2 31.1
2000 542 30.0 18.1 32.1
2001 583 35.0 16.7 37.6
2002 452 27.0 16.7 34.7
2003 452 27.0 16.7 34.7
2004 438 26.8 16.3 38.9
2005 465 26.5 17.5 34.2
2006 448 27.5 16.3 36.2
2007 463 38.8 11.9 43.4
2008 437 27.8 15.7 47.5
2009 451 23.8 18.9 41.6
2010 445 27.0 16.4 48.8
2011 491 26.0 18.8 50.7
2012 495 26.0 19.0 52.1
2013 475 26.4 17.9 50.3
2014 459 26.4 17.3 49.2
2015 427 26.0 16.4 48.5
2016 418 26.0 16.0 46.9
2017 399 26.4 15.1 47.1
2018 410 25.6 16.0 46.1
2019 436 25.6 17.0 50.5
2020 437 28.0 15.6 46.2
2021 434 27.6 15.7 43.3
2022 410 27.1 15.1 48.3
2023 373 28.2 13.2 63.3

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 Buford Middle

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YearPersonnel Expenditures from Federal FundsNon-Personnel Expenditures from Federal FundsTotal Expenditures from Federal FundsPersonnel Expenditures from State and Local FundsNon-Personnel Expenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $417 (4.0%) $95 (0.9%) $512 (4.9%) $8,465 (81.6%) $1,391 (13.4%) $9,856 (95.1%) $10,368
2020 $262 (2.6%) $101 (1.0%) $363 (3.6%) $8,352 (82.8%) $1,373 (13.6%) $9,725 (96.4%) $10,088
2021 $227 (2.3%) $63 (0.6%) $290 (2.9%) $8,483 (84.7%) $1,246 (12.4%) $9,729 (97.1%) $10,019
2022 $424 (4.3%) $290 (2.9%) $715 (7.2%) $8,222 (83.1%) $954 (9.6%) $9,175 (92.8%) $9,890
2023 $638 (5.3%) $515 (4.3%) $1,153 (9.6%) $9,726 (81.3%) $1,086 (9.1%) $10,813 (90.4%) $11,966

Data source: South Carolina Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Buford 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 143rd of 315 Middle schoolsRanks 189th of 325 Middle schools
 12.8%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
6th Grade Science (Buford Middle)48.618.4
 30.2%
   6th Grade Science (Lancaster 01)48.743.3
 5.4%
   6th Grade Science (South Carolina)47.143
 4.1%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Buford Middle)38.834.9
 3.9%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Lancaster 01)4254.2
 12.2%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (South Carolina)41.153.4
 12.3%
6th Grade Mathematics (Buford Middle)41.625.7
 15.9%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Lancaster 01)43.444.5
 1.1%
   6th Grade Mathematics (South Carolina)43.936.7
 7.2%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Buford Middle)37.141.4
 4.3%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Lancaster 01)4350.2
 7.2%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (South Carolina)4450.1
 6.1%
7th Grade Mathematics (Buford Middle)31.531.4
 0.1%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Lancaster 01)34.534.4
 0.1%
   7th Grade Mathematics (South Carolina)35.331
 4.3%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Buford Middle)51.143.4
 7.7%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Lancaster 01)45.748.3
 2.6%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (South Carolina)44.553.1
 8.6%
8th Grade Mathematics (Buford Middle)36.547.3
 10.8%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Lancaster 01)36.233.1
 3.1%
   8th Grade Mathematics (South Carolina)36.631.6
 5%
End of Course Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (Buford Middle)99.9100
 0.1%
   End of Course Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (Lancaster 01)71.764.6
 7.1%
   End of Course Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (South Carolina)68.668.3
 0.3%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students436373
 14.4%
African American2425
 4.2%
American Indian31
 66.7%
Asian00
Hispanic1018
 80%
Pacific Islander00
White392318
 18.9%
Two or More Races711
 57.1%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients50.5%63.3%
 12.8%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Buford Middle

In the 2022-23 school year, 373 students attended Buford Middle.

Students who attend Buford Middle usually go on to attend Lancaster High

Buford Middle ranks 77th of 325 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at Buford Middle are 85% White, 7% African American, 5% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Carolina Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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