Chestnut Oaks Middle

As a tight-knit middle school in Sumter, South Carolina, Chestnut Oaks Middle caters to 339 students from grades 6 through 8, part of Sumter 01. That puts it 45% leaner than the typical public school in South Carolina, which averages around 622 students.

Within Sumter 01, which oversees 24 schools and 13,871 students, Chestnut Oaks Middle is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Chestnut Oaks Middle records that the student body is overwhelmingly Black (81%). Other groups include 10% Hispanic, 5% White, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Sumter County as a whole is about 46% Black, so the school skews meaningfully more Black than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, Chestnut Oaks Middle records 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 16.1:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.8:1, putting Chestnut Oaks Middle higher than the state norm the norm.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Sumter County) records that the typical household earns roughly $56,693 per year, 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 13%. Chestnut Oaks Middle is one of 27 public schools in Sumter County (combined enrollment of about 14,608 students).

Nearest neighbor: Crestwood High, around 1.4 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Chestnut Oaks Middle.

Chestnut Oaks Middle operates from a commuter-belt location.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Chestnut Oaks Middle has shrank 9%, going from 373 students in 2018 to 339 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 86% to 81% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 19.6:1 in 2018 to 16.1:1 today.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.