Is Youth Leadership Academy a good school?

Youth Leadership Academy ranks 54 th of 325 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Youth Leadership Academy?

In the 2022-23 school year, 287 students attended Youth Leadership Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Youth Leadership Academy?

Students at Youth Leadership Academy are 91% White, 5% Hispanic, 2% African American, 2% Two or more races.

Youth Leadership Academy

Summary:

Youth Leadership Academy is a public charter middle school in Pickens, South Carolina, serving 287 students in grades 6-8. This school stands out for its exceptional academic performance, diverse student population, and strong socioeconomic profile compared to nearby schools.

Academically, Youth Leadership Academy consistently outperforms the state and its district, Pickens 01, which is ranked 25th out of 75 districts in the state. In the 2023-2024 school year, 100% of students were proficient or better in EOCEP/Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2, compared to 72.25% for the district and 72.5% for the state. The school's English Language Arts proficiency rates ranged from 65% to 74.4% across grades, significantly higher than the district and state averages. This consistent academic excellence has earned Youth Leadership Academy a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger and a ranking as high as 9th out of 291 middle schools in the state.

While the student population at Youth Leadership Academy is predominantly white (90.59% in 2022-2023), the school has a more diverse racial makeup compared to nearby schools like Berea Middle and Tanglewood Middle, which have much higher percentages of African American and Hispanic students. Additionally, Youth Leadership Academy has a relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 7.53% to 12.82% over the past three years, significantly lower than the nearby schools in the Greenville 01 district, which have 100% or close to 100% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch.

Detail:

Public, Charter 6-8

698 Concord Church Road
Pickens, SC 29671

(864) 898-4511

District: School Public Charter School District

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,474

Student/teacher ratio: 15.1

Number of students: 287

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.6%

Hispanic:

5.2%

African American:

1.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 8%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare Youth Leadership Academy to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Youth Leadership Academy ranks better than 83.4% of middle schools in South Carolina. It also ranks first among 3 ranked middle schools in the School Public Charter School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 81.14. (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 Youth Leadership Academy has the largest middle school student body size in the School Public Charter School District. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Youth Leadership Academy is $11,474, which is the highest among 3 middle schools in the School Public Charter School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Youth Leadership Academy:

SchoolDigger ranks Youth Leadership Academy 54^th of 325 South Carolina public middle schools. (See Youth Leadership Academy in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Gifted and Talented students:

Male students:

White students:

School Public Charter School District:

SchoolDigger ranks School Public Charter School District 25^th of 75 South Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Youth Leadership Academy

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Rank History for all students at Youth Leadership Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	SC State Percentile
2014	93.99	9^th	291	96.9%
2015	89.88	23^rd	301	92.4%
2016	92.54	18^th	303	94.1%
2017	88.36	28^th	317	91.2%
2018	91.71	22^nd	303	92.7%
2019	88.29	33^rd	315	89.5%
2021	95.15	17^th	311	94.5%
2022	92.44	19^th	310	93.9%
2023	88.80	30^th	325	90.8%
2024	81.14	54^th	325	83.4%

See the entire list of South Carolina Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Youth Leadership Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	SC State Percentile
2021	97.44	6^th	288	97.9%
2022	91.93	15^th	300	95.0%
2023	92.70	16^th	313	94.9%
2024	77.49	47^th	307	84.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at Youth Leadership Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	95.50	12^th	281	95.7%
2019	82.41	48^th	296	83.8%
2021	95.30	13^th	279	95.3%
2022	91.77	19^th	290	93.4%
2023	86.32	36^th	299	88.0%
2024	75.35	59^th	294	79.9%

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

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Youth Leadership Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	SC State Percentile
2022	62.40	77^th	182	57.7%
2023	75.90	29^th	185	84.3%
2024	61.40	94^th	183	48.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at Youth Leadership Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	94.22	17^th	284	94.0%
2019	95.14	15^th	296	94.9%
2021	95.46	14^th	279	95.0%
2022	91.59	23^rd	292	92.1%
2023	89.23	27^th	303	91.1%
2024	85.16	41^st	294	86.1%

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

Rank History for White students at Youth Leadership Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	77.05	46^th	250	81.6%
2019	68.62	83^rd	258	67.8%
2021	82.18	35^th	244	85.7%
2022	79.26	44^th	249	82.3%
2023	72.33	64^th	260	75.4%
2024	59.50	97^th	255	62.0%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Monday, August 4, 2014

Wonderful environment with very caring teachers! They push our students to be the best that they can. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Youth Leadership Academy

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2013	48	0	0	0	0	0	0	48
2014	91	1	1	1	0	0	0	94
2015	113	1	1	4	1	0	1	121
2016	132	1	2	7	0	0	1	143
2017	133	0	0	7	0	0	3	143
2018	138	0	0	3	0	0	3	144
2019	133	2	0	7	0	1	2	145
2020	135	3	0	4	0	1	2	145
2021	176	4	2	9	0	1	3	195
2022	220	2	2	11	0	0	4	239
2023	260	5	2	15	0	0	5	287

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 Youth Leadership Academy

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2013	48	3.5	13.7	0
2014	94	6.3	14.9	0
2015	121	8.0	15.1	14.9
2016	143	9.0	15.8	16.8
2017	143	8.7	16.4	6.3
2018	144	9.5	15.1	6.3
2019	145	10.0	14.5	8.3
2020	145	9.0	16.1	11.7
2021	195	12.0	16.2	12.8
2022	239	17.0	14.0	7.5
2023	287	19.0	15.1	8

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 Youth Leadership Academy

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2013	48	3.5	13.7	0
2014	94	6.3	14.9	0
2015	121	8.0	15.1	14.9
2016	143	9.0	15.8	16.8
2017	143	8.7	16.4	6.3
2018	144	9.5	15.1	6.3
2019	145	10.0	14.5	8.3
2020	145	9.0	16.1	11.7
2021	195	12.0	16.2	12.8
2022	239	17.0	14.0	7.5
2023	287	19.0	15.1	8

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 Youth Leadership Academy

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	$46 (0.5%)	$332 (3.8%)	$379 (4.4%)	$65 (0.7%)	$8,252 (94.9%)	$8,317 (95.6%)	$8,696
2023	$1,145 (10.0%)	$107 (0.9%)	$1,252 (10.9%)	$127 (1.1%)	$10,095 (88.0%)	$10,222 (89.1%)	$11,474

Data source: South Carolina Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Youth Leadership Academy

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 33^rd of 315 Middle schools	Ranks 30^th of 325 Middle schools	1.2%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade Science (Youth Leadership Academy)	75.5	57.6	17.9%
6th Grade Science (School Public Charter School District)	49.6	46.8	2.8%
6th Grade Science (South Carolina)	47.1	43	4.1%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Youth Leadership Academy)	64.6	71.7	7.1%
6th Grade English Language Arts (School Public Charter School District)	46.9	61.4	14.5%
6th Grade English Language Arts (South Carolina)	41.1	53.4	12.3%
6th Grade Mathematics (Youth Leadership Academy)	65.3	43.4	21.9%
6th Grade Mathematics (School Public Charter School District)	45.4	37	8.4%
6th Grade Mathematics (South Carolina)	43.9	36.7	7.2%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Youth Leadership Academy)	51.1	77.1	26%
7th Grade English Language Arts (School Public Charter School District)	50.6	57.8	7.2%
7th Grade English Language Arts (South Carolina)	44	50.1	6.1%
7th Grade Mathematics (Youth Leadership Academy)	53.2	61.5	8.3%
7th Grade Mathematics (School Public Charter School District)	36.8	35	1.8%
7th Grade Mathematics (South Carolina)	35.3	31	4.3%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Youth Leadership Academy)	62.5	82.6	20.1%
8th Grade English Language Arts (School Public Charter School District)	51.3	61.3	10%
8th Grade English Language Arts (South Carolina)	44.5	53.1	8.6%
8th Grade Mathematics (Youth Leadership Academy)	54.2	53.2	1%
8th Grade Mathematics (School Public Charter School District)	34.4	35.9	1.5%
8th Grade Mathematics (South Carolina)	36.6	31.6	5%
End of Course Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (Youth Leadership Academy)	100	100
End of Course Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (School Public Charter School District)	64.2	72.3	8.1%
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	145	287	97.9%
African American	2	5	150%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	0	2
Hispanic	7	15	114.3%
Pacific Islander	1	0	100%
White	133	260	95.5%
Two or More Races	2	5	150%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	8.3%	8%	0.3%

Schools Near Youth Leadership Academy

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
Youth Leadership Academy	Public, Charter	6-8	698 Concord Church Road	Pickens	29671	Pickens County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	No	(864) 898-4511	287	19	15.1	8.0%	260 (90.6%)	5 (1.7%)	15 (5.2%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.7%)	81.1	54^th of 325 public middle schools	83.4%		88.8	30^th of 325 public middle schools	90.8%	24	65.0	69.4	74.4	34.0	54.1	45.5	100.0	$11,474	$1,145	$107	$1,252	$127	$10,095	$10,222
Pickens Middle	Public	6-8	140 Torch Lane	Pickens	29671	Pickens County	Pickens 01	No	No	No	No	(864) 397-4100	546	35	15.6	84.1%	450 (82.4%)	26 (4.8%)	46 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.4%)	50.3	150^th of 325 public middle schools	53.8%		54.7	132^nd of 325 public middle schools	59.4%	18	47.1	48.2	45.4	39.1	36.1	27.0	95.7	$11,137	$887	$664	$1,551	$8,540	$1,045	$9,586
Liberty Middle	Public	6-8	125 Falcon Lane	Liberty	29657	Pickens County	Pickens 01	No	No	No	No	(864) 397-3400	448	35	12.8	84.4%	364 (81.3%)	19 (4.2%)	40 (8.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.4%)	45.9	163^rd of 325 public middle schools	49.8%		49.3	153^rd of 325 public middle schools	52.9%	10	55.0	55.1	48.9	25.0	22.3	21.4	91.5	$11,782	$961	$825	$1,786	$8,901	$1,095	$9,996
Richard H. Gettys Middle	Public	6-8	510 South Pendleton Street	Easley	29640	Pickens County	Pickens 01	No	No	No	No	(864) 397-3900	1,284	76	17.0	74.5%	821 (63.9%)	142 (11.1%)	192 (15.0%)	15 (1.2%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	111 (8.6%)	59.6	114^th of 325 public middle schools	64.9%		64.7	99^th of 325 public middle schools	69.5%	15	56.7	49.0	51.7	43.7	30.7	34.4	99.4	$8,760	$661	$483	$1,144	$6,799	$817	$7,616
R. C. Edwards Middle	Public	6-8	1157 Madden Bridge Road	Central	29630	Pickens County	Pickens 01	No	No	No	No	(864) 397-4200	840	48	17.6	53.8%	620 (73.8%)	73 (8.7%)	50 (6.0%)	38 (4.5%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	57 (6.8%)	84.9	45^th of 325 public middle schools	86.2%		79.3	63^rd of 325 public middle schools	80.6%	18	72.4	67.7	61.4	52.4	50.9	42.6	100.0	$9,098	$505	$576	$1,080	$7,078	$940	$8,018
Dacusville Middle	Public	6-8	899 Thomas Mill Road	Easley	29640	Pickens County	Pickens 01	No	No	No	No	(864) 397-3525	251	23	11.0	80.9%	225 (89.6%)	2 (0.8%)	19 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.0%)	65.8	96^th of 325 public middle schools	70.5%		68.5	88^th of 325 public middle schools	72.9%	8	53.4	41.0	65.0	46.6	36.9	51.3	100.0	$14,588	$1,322	$872	$2,194	$10,824	$1,570	$12,394
Riverside Middle	Public	7-8	458 Riverside Street	Pendleton	29670	Anderson County	Anderson 04	No	No	No	No	(864) 403-2200	426	33	12.9	62.7%	303 (71.1%)	62 (14.6%)	28 (6.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (7.0%)	87.5	38^th of 325 public middle schools	88.3%		86	40^th of 325 public middle schools	87.7%	2		65.4	63.6		53.0	49.7	97.4	$13,280	$680	$1,290	$1,970	$9,450	$1,860	$11,310
Wren Middle	Public	6-8	1010 Wren School Road	Piedmont	29673	Greenville County	Anderson 01	No	No	No	No	(864) 850-5930	973	61	16.0	46.4%	798 (82.0%)	65 (6.7%)	59 (6.1%)	10 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (4.2%)	82.6	53^rd of 325 public middle schools	83.7%		86.5	37^th of 325 public middle schools	88.6%	16	66.2	65.8	60.3	55.8	59.6	35.6	95.1	$8,987	$460	$472	$932	$7,125	$930	$8,055
Powdersville Middle	Public	6-8	135 Hood Road	Greenville	29611	Greenville County	Anderson 01	No	No	No	No	(864) 269-1821	756	52	14.5	42.2%	547 (72.4%)	74 (9.8%)	85 (11.2%)	20 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	29 (3.8%)	91.5	23^rd of 325 public middle schools	92.9%		92.1	22^nd of 325 public middle schools	93.2%	1	66.3	72.3	71.9	64.4	58.8	53.1	100.0	$10,102	$840	$459	$1,299	$7,782	$1,021	$8,803
Tanglewood Middle	Public	6-8	44 Merriwoods Drive	Greenville	29611	Greenville County	Greenville 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 355-4500	745	62	12.0	100.0%	93 (12.5%)	262 (35.2%)	365 (49.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	20 (2.7%)	14.6	287^th of 325 public middle schools	11.7%		13.4	291^st of 325 public middle schools	10.5%	4	35.9	24.5	33.2	13.5	11.4	12.8		$11,909	$2,210	$808	$3,018	$8,105	$786	$8,891

Youth Leadership Academy

Youth Leadership Academy:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

School Public Charter School District:

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Youth Leadership Academy

Rank History for all students at Youth Leadership Academy

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Youth Leadership Academy

Rank History for Female students at Youth Leadership Academy

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Youth Leadership Academy

Rank History for Male students at Youth Leadership Academy

Rank History for White students at Youth Leadership Academy

Review counts

Enrollment information for Youth Leadership Academy

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Youth Leadership Academy

Student/Teacher Ratio Youth Leadership Academy

Per Pupil Expenditures for Youth Leadership Academy

Impact of COVID-19 on Youth Leadership Academy

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Youth Leadership Academy

Frequently Asked Questions about Youth Leadership Academy

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