South Carolina is made up of 46 counties and 85 public school districts. Each county is responsible for providing educational services to local residents through its own district. The state also has several charter schools that are independently operated and funded by the state.
The majority of South Carolina’s public school districts are located in small towns and rural areas, though some larger cities have multiple school districts serving their students. Columbia, for example, has three separate school districts: Richland County School District One (RCSD1), Richland County School District Two (RCSD2), and Lexington-Richland Five (LR5). Charleston County also has three separate school districts: Charleston County School District (CCSD), Dorchester School District Two (DSD2), and Berkeley County School District (BCSD).
Each district offers a variety of educational programs to its students including elementary, middle, high schools as well as vocational-technical schools. In addition to traditional public schools, South Carolina also provides several alternative educational options including magnet schools, virtual learning academies, homeschooling programs, and dual language immersion programs. These options allow families to find an education that best suits their needs.
There are many public and private high schools in the state of South Carolina. It is rather difficult for you to choose one that fits you most. In order for you to better evaluate your choice, we have ranked these high schools based on latest SAT/ACT scores, graduation rates, and state test scores from the South Carolina Department of Education. See below for top 22 high schools throughout the state of South Carolina.
| # | High Schools | Honor |
| 1 |
Academic Magnet High School
Charleston County School District 01 School District Charleston County 1525 Avenue B South North Charleston, SC 29405 Telephone: (843) 746-1300 |
Gold: #12 of 100 |
| 2 |
Batesburg-Leesville High School
Lexington County School District 03 School District Lexington County 600 Summerland Avenue Batesburg, SC 29006 Telephone: (803) 532-9251 |
Bronze |
| 3 |
Bethune-Bowman Middle High School
Orangeburg County School District 05 School District Orangeburg County 4857 Charleston Hwy Rowesville, SC 29133 Telephone: (803) 516-6011 |
Bronze |
| 4 |
Branchville High School
Orangeburg County School District 04 School District Orangeburg County Post Box 188 Branchville, SC 29432 Telephone: (803) 274-8875 |
Bronze |
| 5 |
Calhoun County High School
Calhoun County School District 01 School District Calhoun County 150 Saints Avenue Saint Matthews, SC 29135 Telephone: (803) 874-3071 |
Bronze |
| 6 |
Calhoun Falls High School
Abbeville County School District Abbeville County 205 Edgefield Street Calhoun Falls, SC 29628 Telephone: (864) 447-8014 |
Bronze |
| 7 |
Charleston County School of the Arts
Charleston County School District 01 School District Charleston County 1600 Saranac Street North Charleston, SC 29405 Telephone: (843) 529-4990 |
Silver |
| 8 |
Creek Bridge High School
Marion County School District 07 School District Marion County 6641 South Hwy 41 Marion, SC 29571 Telephone: (843) 362-3500 |
Bronze |
| 9 |
Cross High School
Berkeley County School District 01 School District Berkeley County 1293 Old Hwy. 6 Cross, SC 29436 Telephone: (843) 899-8900 |
Bronze |
| 10 |
Fairfield Central High School
Fairfield County School District 01 School District Fairfield County 836 US Hwy 321 By Pass So. Winnsboro, SC 29180 Telephone: (803) 635-1441 |
Bronze |
| 11 |
Garrett School of Technology
Charleston County School District 01 School District Charleston County 2731 Gordon Street Charleston, SC 29405 Telephone: (843) 745-7126 |
Bronze |
| 12 |
Green Sea Floyds High School
Horry County School District 01 School District Horry County 4990 Tulip Grove Road Green Sea, SC 29545 Telephone: (843) 392-3131 |
Bronze |
| 13 |
Greenville Technical Charter
Greenville County School District 01 School District Greenville County Post Office Box 5616 Greenville, SC 29606 Telephone: (864) 250-8844 |
Bronze |
| 14 |
Lake City High School
Florence County School District 03 School District Florence County Post Office Box 1569 Lake City, SC 29560 Telephone: (843) 374-3321 |
Bronze |
| 15 |
Lamar High School
Darlington County School District 01 School District Darlington County 216 North Darlington Avenue Lamar, SC 29069 Telephone: (843) 326-7500 |
Bronze |
| 16 |
Latta High School
Dillon County School District 03 School District Dillon County 618 N Richardson St Latta, SC 29565 Telephone: (843) 752-5751 |
Bronze |
| 17 |
Mayo High School for Math Science and Technology
Darlington County School District 01 School District Darlington County 405 Chestnut Street Darlington, SC 29532 Telephone: (843) 398-2650 |
Silver |
| 18 |
Ninety Six High School
Greenwood County School District 52 School District Greenwood County 601 Johnston Rd Ninety Six, SC 29666 Telephone: (864) 543-2911 |
Bronze |
| 19 |
North Myrtle Beach High School
Horry County School District 01 School District Horry County 3750 Sea Mountain Hwy. Little River, SC 29566 Telephone: (843) 399-6171 |
Bronze |
| 20 |
Pendleton High School
Anderson County School District 04 School District Anderson County P.O. Box 869 Pendleton, SC 29670 Telephone: (864) 646-8040 |
Bronze |
| 21 |
Walhalla Senior High School
Oconee County School District 01 School District Oconee County 151 Razorback Lane Walhalla, SC 29691 Telephone: (864) 886-4490 |
Bronze |
| 22 |
Woodruff High School
Spartanburg County School District 04 School District Spartanburg County 710 Cross Anchor Rd. Woodruff, SC 29388 Telephone: (864) 476-7045 |
Bronze |
South Carolina Facts
- The official name of the state is the State of South Carolina.
- Region of the state – South Atlantic States, South of the USA
- State area – 82,931 km 2 (including land – 77,983 km 2 and water surface – 4,948 km 2), 40th place among US states
- State length:
- from north to south – 320 km
- from west to east – 420 km
- The height of the relief of the state above sea level:
- maximum – 1,085 m
- minimum – 0 m
- State Time Zone – US Eastern Time Zone
- Date of foundation of the state – May 23, 1788 (8th state in the United States)
- The state capital is Colombia.
- The largest city in the state is Charleston.
- The population of the state is about 5,125,000 people (23rd place among US states)
- The population density in the state is about 61 people / km 2 (19th place among US states)
- The average household income in the state is about $ 50,570 (43rd place among US states)
- The state motto is Dum spiro spero (“While I breathe, I hope”) and Animis opibusque parati (“Ready in mind and deed”)
- State Nicknames – “Palm State”
- State abbreviation – SC
The state of South Carolina is located in the South of the United States and belongs to the South Atlantic States. South Carolina borders the states of North Carolina to the north and Georgia to the west and south.
South Carolina is located within two United States physiographic regions. A chain of barrier islands, a coastline indented by numerous bays and river mouths, a coastal plain with fertile soils and sandhills covered with pine forests located to the west are all part of the US Atlantic Lowlands. Further west, behind the escarpment known as the “line of fall”, are the provinces of the Appalachian mountain system. Here, the terrain gradually rises, passing first into the rolling Piedmont Plateau, and then, in the far northwest of the state, into the Blue Ridge (“Blue Ridge”) mountain range.