High Schools in Effingham County

Effingham County High School and South Effingham High School serve approximately 4,105 students in grades 9–12 within the Effingham County district, which ranks in the 90th percentile statewide with a 5-star rating.

South Effingham High School is the stronger academic performer overall. It holds a higher state ranking (101st vs. 117th), a better graduation rate (94.7% vs. 92.8%), and superior proficiency in Algebra I (59.6% vs. 54.7%) and U.S. History (46.9% vs. 43.1%). It also spends slightly more per student ($12,589 vs. $12,222) and maintains a more favorable student-teacher ratio (15.9:1 vs. 17.5:1). However, Effingham County High School is improving its state standing, climbing from 135th to 117th over three years, and actually leads in Biology proficiency (55.3% vs. 52.3%) and has a lower dropout rate (1.6% vs. 2.1%). Both schools exceed state graduation averages by 5.6 and 7.5 percentage points, respectively.

The most pressing concern for both schools is chronic absenteeism, which runs well above district and state averages — 22.8% at Effingham County High School and 19.3% at South Effingham High School, compared to 12.9% district-wide and 17.7% statewide. This disconnect between high graduation rates and high absenteeism is striking. U.S. History remains the weakest subject at both schools, though both exceed the state average of 38.5%. Effingham County High School showed notable year-over-year volatility, with large gains in Algebra I (+6.7 points) and Biology (+6.0 points) but a significant decline in U.S. History (−6.5 points). South Effingham High School, by contrast, remained remarkably stable across all subjects. Note that English Language Arts scores are not included in this release and will be published in December.