The best Beaufort, Jasper County high schools, US News & World Report says. One is top 20 in SC
Back-to-school season is here and as students start heading to class, a new report highlights which Beaufort and Jasper County high schools are leading the way.
U.S. News & World Report recently released its annual rankings of more than 230 public high schools across South Carolina — part of a broader analysis evaluating nearly 18,000 schools in the nation.
Bluffton High School topped the list locally, earning a spot in the state’s top 20, while other rankings offer a snapshot of how schools are performing heading into the new academic year.
Here’s where Beaufort and Jasper County high schools fell among statewide rankings, according to this report.
Beaufort County School District
Bluffton High School
- Rank: #20 in South Carolina
- Score: 88.55 out of 100
- Graduation Rate: 93%
- Student-to-Teacher Ratio: 14:1
- Enrollment: 1,384
Subject proficiency scores:
- Reading Proficiency: 81%
- Math Proficiency: 55%
- Science Proficiency: 68%
May River High School
- Rank: #47 in South Carolina
- Score: 77.52 out of 100
- Graduation Rate: 89%
- Student-to-Teacher Ratio: 15:1
- Enrollment: 1,665
Subject proficiency scores:
- Reading Proficiency: 78%
- Math Proficiency: 44%
- Science Proficiency: 58%
Beaufort High School
- Rank: #67 in South Carolina
- Score: 70.03 out of 100
- Graduation Rate: 79%
- Student-to-Teacher Ratio: 14:1
- Enrollment: 1,188
Subject proficiency scores:
- Reading Proficiency: 71%
- Math Proficiency: 29%
- Science Proficiency: 43%
Hilton Head Island High School
- Rank: #73 in South Carolina
- Score: 66.49 out of 100
- Graduation Rate: 89%
- Student-to-Teacher Ratio: 13:1
- Enrollment: 1,317
Subject proficiency scores:
- Reading Proficiency: 67%
- Math Proficiency: 45%
- Science Proficiency: 53%
Whale Branch Early College High School
- Rank: #109 in South Carolina
- Score: 48.28 out of 100
- Graduation Rate: 83%
- Student-to-Teacher Ratio: 10:1
- Enrollment: 450
Subject proficiency scores:
- Reading Proficiency: 57%
- Math Proficiency: 52%
- Science Proficiency: 37%
Jasper County School District
Hardeeville Junior & Senior High School
- Rank: #130 in South Carolina
- Score: 38.22 out of 100
- Graduation Rate: 82%
- Student-to-Teacher Ratio: 16:1
- Enrollment: 327
Subject proficiency scores:
- Reading Proficiency: 64%
- Math Proficiency: 46%
- Science Proficiency: 25%
How are these schools ranked by U.S. News & World Report?
U.S. News & World Report ranked nearly 18,000 public high schools out of more than 24,000 reviewed. The ranked schools were evaluated on six key measures.
Each measure is weighted and transformed to a percentage score between zero and 100, with the top performers scoring 100.
The measures and their percentages calculated in this report include:
- College readiness (30%): Based on how many students take and pass AP or IB exams.
- State assessment proficiency (20%): State assessment scores that students may be required to pass for graduation.
- State assessment performance (20%): How students perform on statewide tests compared to expectations.
- Underserved student performance (10%): Closing achievement gaps for low-income, Black and Hispanic students.
- College curriculum breadth (10%): The number of AP/IB courses students complete successfully.
- Graduation rate (10%): The percentage of students graduating within four years, with the school’s 12th-grade enrollment holding 15 students or more.
For a list of the top 10 high schools in South Carolina from these rankings, click here.
