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Best Public Schools in Myrtle Beach, SC

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its South Carolina rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

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At a glance

Schools

24,733

Students

Districts

5-star schools

Top rankedOcean Bay Middle30^th of 335 South Carolina middle schools

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Biggest riser

River Oaks Elementary up 81 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Bridgewater Academy Charter 6.9 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

2★

1★

7 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare South Carolina cities →See the top-ranked South Carolina schools →

Summary:

The Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area is served by 26 schools—14 elementary, 7 middle, and 5 high schools—that collectively enroll about 21,000 students, with the vast majority belonging to the Horry 01 district, which holds a 4-star rating and ranks 9th out of 75 districts statewide.

For parents, the standout options are clear. Palmetto Academy of Learning and Success Charter is the top overall performer, ranking in the 88th percentile with exceptional proficiency rates (94.3% in 4th grade ELA and 88.9% in 3rd grade math) while spending the least per student ($10,311) and having the lowest chronic absenteeism (5.3%). Among traditional schools, Ocean Bay Middle leads with a 91st percentile ranking and perfect Algebra 1 EOCEP scores, while St. James Elementary maintains consistent 5-star ratings. At the high school level, Carolina Forest High is the premier choice with an 81st percentile ranking and 90.35% English 2 proficiency, though Coastal High School boasts the highest graduation rate (92.6%) and a 0% dropout rate. The Carolina Forest corridor—including River Oaks Elementary, which jumped from the 79th to 92nd percentile—represents a geographic cluster of excellence.

However, significant disparities exist. Carolina Shores Acceleration Academy faces severe challenges with a 15th percentile ranking, 35.6% graduation rate, and 19.2% dropout rate. The traditional Myrtle Beach city schools (Myrtle Beach Elementary, Myrtle Beach Middle, and Myrtle Beach High) consistently underperform, with the high school dropping from the 63rd to 38th percentile and suffering 30.3% chronic absenteeism. Notably, there is no correlation between spending and achievement—Palmetto Bays Elementary spends $15,549 per student yet ranks in the 48th percentile, while River Oaks Elementary spends just $11,914 and ranks in the 92nd. Attendance emerges as the strongest predictor of success, with top schools all maintaining chronic absenteeism below 10%, making this the most actionable area for improvement district-wide.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SC READY English Language Arts (2026)						SC READY Mathematics (2026)						SC READY Science (2026)		EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2026)	EOCEP English 1 (2026)	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution (2026)	EOCEP English 2 (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 (2024)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SC READY English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 4th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 5th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 6th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 8th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 7th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 8th Grade	SC READY Science 4th Grade	SC READY Science 6th Grade	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	EOCEP English 1 End of Course	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution End of Course	EOCEP English 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
Carolina Forest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	285 Carolina Forest Boulevard	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 236-0001	1,336	87	15.3	53.1%	739 (55.3%)	181 (13.5%)	219 (16.4%)	43 (3.2%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	151 (11.3%)	74.2	164^th of 649 public elementary schools	74.7%		79.3	122^nd of 640 public elementary schools	80.9%	42	77.0	71.3	72.3				74.3	57.0	54.6				60.7						$12,960	$1,239	$603	$1,842	$9,401	$1,717	$11,118
Forestbrook Middle	Public	6-8	4430 Gator Lane	Myrtle Beach	29588	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 236-7300	816	53	15.5	52.6%	436 (53.4%)	76 (9.3%)	252 (30.9%)	8 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	40 (4.9%)	68.1	91^st of 335 public middle schools	72.8%		57	119^th of 320 public middle schools	62.8%	28				64.4	65.2	62.4				46.9	46.2	48.8		56.6					$13,107	$1,009	$426	$1,435	$10,446	$1,225	$11,671
Carolina Forest High	Public	9-12	700 Gardner Lacy Road	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 236-7997	3,176	165	19.3	44.7%	1,788 (56.3%)	437 (13.8%)	639 (20.1%)	72 (2.3%)	13 (0.4%)	3 (0.1%)	224 (7.1%)	78.1	46^th of 245 public high schools	81.2%		72.9	43^rd of 235 public high schools	81.7%	3															80.9	70.3	73.4	90.4	$12,194	$659	$390	$1,049	$9,682	$1,464	$11,146
Socastee Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4223 Socastee Boulevard	Myrtle Beach	29588	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 650-2606	850	60	14.1	100.0%	275 (32.4%)	101 (11.9%)	406 (47.8%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.5%)	11 (1.3%)	50 (5.9%)	68.8	197^th of 649 public elementary schools	69.6%		59.4	256^th of 640 public elementary schools	60.0%	59	61.1	71.8	67.2				60.2	69.5	53.2				67.3						$14,216	$1,759	$629	$2,388	$10,258	$1,570	$11,828
Lakewood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1675 Highway 396	Myrtle Beach	29575	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 650-6768	866	61	14.3	55.9%	536 (61.9%)	73 (8.4%)	135 (15.6%)	10 (1.2%)	5 (0.6%)	7 (0.8%)	100 (11.5%)	74.3	163^rd of 649 public elementary schools	74.9%		77.2	139^th of 640 public elementary schools	78.3%	24	77.8	72.9	70.1				65.1	58.3	59.1				64.6						$14,028	$1,225	$551	$1,776	$10,759	$1,493	$12,252
Socastee High	Public	9-12	4900 Socastee Boulevard	Myrtle Beach	29588	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 293-2513	1,720	95	18.1	45.3%	1,051 (61.1%)	135 (7.8%)	373 (21.7%)	34 (2.0%)	4 (0.2%)	7 (0.4%)	116 (6.7%)	73.6	56^th of 245 public high schools	77.1%		69	51^st of 235 public high schools	78.3%	5															55.2	72.0	75.5	86.8	$14,081	$686	$426	$1,111	$11,278	$1,691	$12,969
Myrtle Beach High	Public	9-12	3302 Robert Grissom Parkway	Myrtle Beach	29577	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 839-7148	1,510	84	18.0	58.6%	539 (35.7%)	331 (21.9%)	481 (31.9%)	32 (2.1%)	4 (0.3%)	5 (0.3%)	118 (7.8%)	41.6	151^st of 245 public high schools	38.4%		40.9	138^th of 235 public high schools	41.3%	13																59.2	60.5	73.5	$13,613	$778	$398	$1,176	$10,701	$1,736	$12,437
Academy For Arts/Science/Technology	Public, Magnet	9-12	895 International Drive	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Horry 01	No	Yes	No	No	(843) 903-8460	0	43	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Palmetto Bays Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8900 Highway 544	Myrtle Beach	29588	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 236-6200	556	41	13.5	100.0%	237 (42.6%)	68 (12.2%)	189 (34.0%)	7 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (9.7%)	46.2	338^th of 649 public elementary schools	47.9%		57.6	267^th of 640 public elementary schools	58.3%	71	61.8	54.4	58.8				58.4	43.2	46.3				53.1						$15,549	$2,127	$712	$2,839	$10,989	$1,721	$12,710
Bridgewater Academy Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	191 River Landing Boulevard	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Horry 01	Yes	No	No	Yes	(843) 236-3689	125	18	6.9	26.6%	51 (40.8%)	49 (39.2%)	16 (12.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (7.2%)								(n/a)																			$19,311	$2,752	$488	$3,239	$10,439	$5,633	$16,072
Myrtle Beach Middle	Public	6-8	3101 North Oak Street	Myrtle Beach	29577	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 448-3932	1,146	71	16.2	100.0%	383 (33.4%)	259 (22.6%)	391 (34.1%)	16 (1.4%)	6 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	89 (7.8%)	44.8	179^th of 335 public middle schools	46.6%		39.9	190^th of 320 public middle schools	40.6%	11				54.0	58.0	48.0				34.5	37.5	37.9		49.2					$12,371	$1,069	$512	$1,581	$9,328	$1,462	$10,790
St. James Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	9711 St. James Road	Myrtle Beach	29588	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 650-8220	884	56	15.9	41.2%	659 (74.5%)	43 (4.9%)	98 (11.1%)	15 (1.7%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	65 (7.4%)	88.6	64^th of 649 public elementary schools	90.1%		89.5	51^st of 640 public elementary schools	92.0%	13	78.6	86.7					77.5	70.4					72.7						$12,592	$971	$468	$1,439	$9,772	$1,381	$11,153
Forestbrook Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4000 Panthers Parkway	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 236-8100	930	60	15.5	49.6%	563 (60.5%)	72 (7.7%)	199 (21.4%)	10 (1.1%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (8.9%)	80.7	118^th of 649 public elementary schools	81.8%		79.4	120^th of 640 public elementary schools	81.3%	2	75.8	77.4	77.0				73.5	63.9	63.0				62.0						$13,757	$1,413	$550	$1,963	$10,113	$1,681	$11,794
St. James Middle	Public	7-8	9775 St. James Road	Myrtle Beach	29588	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 650-5543	913	58	15.7	44.3%	654 (71.6%)	56 (6.1%)	122 (13.4%)	13 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	66 (7.2%)	77.4	67^th of 335 public middle schools	80.0%		73.6	74^th of 320 public middle schools	76.9%	7					73.0	72.2					50.0	48.5							$12,683	$685	$391	$1,075	$10,334	$1,274	$11,608
Ocean Bay Middle	Public	6-8	905 International Drive	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 903-8420	801	49	16.5	31.5%	558 (69.7%)	70 (8.7%)	108 (13.5%)	18 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (5.9%)	89.8	30^th of 335 public middle schools	91.0%		92.5	21^st of 320 public middle schools	93.4%	9				70.2	76.7	78.4				57.2	67.8	71.2		68.4					$12,815	$816	$486	$1,302	$10,186	$1,327	$11,513
Ocean Bay Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	950 International Drive	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 903-8400	1,181	69	17.1	41.1%	792 (67.1%)	86 (7.3%)	163 (13.8%)	40 (3.4%)	5 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	94 (8.0%)	79.9	124^th of 649 public elementary schools	80.9%		86.5	74^th of 640 public elementary schools	88.4%	50	80.7	72.3	75.0				75.6	62.9	61.5				64.8						$11,760	$739	$390	$1,128	$9,211	$1,421	$10,632
Burgess Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	9645 Scipio Lane	Myrtle Beach	29588	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 650-4600	697	44	15.8	56.7%	407 (58.4%)	53 (7.6%)	149 (21.4%)	20 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	67 (9.6%)	70.8	185^th of 649 public elementary schools	71.5%		64.4	228^th of 640 public elementary schools	64.4%	43	75.4	71.4					66.4	56.3					58.6						$13,554	$972	$492	$1,464	$10,531	$1,559	$12,090
Palmetto Academy of Learning and Success Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	3021 Fred Nash Boulevard	Myrtle Beach	29577	Horry County	Horry 01	Yes	No	No	No	(843) 293-1725	320	22	14.5	6.2%	258 (80.6%)	10 (3.1%)	27 (8.4%)	6 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.9%)	85.6	81^st of 649 public elementary schools	87.5%		91	43^rd of 640 public elementary schools	93.3%	38	88.8	94.3	91.0	75.0	83.4	86.7	83.4	82.9	54.6	44.5	55.5	46.7	57.1	69.5	86.7				$10,311	$775	$2,067	$2,841	$7,118	$352	$7,470
River Oaks Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	700 Augusta Plantation Drive	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 903-6300	1,426	92	15.5	44.9%	825 (57.9%)	141 (9.9%)	315 (22.1%)	21 (1.5%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	118 (8.3%)	89.6	54^th of 649 public elementary schools	91.7%		77.5	135^th of 640 public elementary schools	78.9%	81	82.1	78.9	83.1				82.9	76.0	69.2				69.2						$11,914	$1,173	$432	$1,605	$8,977	$1,332	$10,309
Socastee Middle	Public	6-8	151 Sheffield Road	Myrtle Beach	29588	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 903-6051	527	37	14.2	42.6%	351 (66.6%)	38 (7.2%)	74 (14.0%)	13 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	48 (9.1%)	83.5	45^th of 335 public middle schools	86.6%		87.6	36^th of 320 public middle schools	88.8%	9				67.6	71.8	72.8				54.6	61.1	64.2		61.0					$13,839	$648	$430	$1,078	$11,385	$1,375	$12,760
St. James Intermediate	Public	5-6	9641 Scipio Lane	Myrtle Beach	29588	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 903-6005	883	53	16.6	45.1%	637 (72.1%)	57 (6.5%)	104 (11.8%)	27 (3.1%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	54 (6.1%)								(n/a)			73.0	73.8					59.2	60.3				77.1					$12,627	$945	$476	$1,421	$10,035	$1,171	$11,205
Ten Oaks Middle	Public	6-8	150 Revolutionary War Way	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 488-8896	1,264	80	15.8	44.7%	737 (58.3%)	137 (10.8%)	235 (18.6%)	46 (3.6%)	6 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	103 (8.1%)	84.7	43^rd of 335 public middle schools	87.2%		85.3	42^nd of 320 public middle schools	86.9%	1				71.0	76.9	70.8				55.9	56.2	58.6		67.7					$12,138	$716	$456	$1,171	$9,853	$1,113	$10,966
Myrtle Beach Elementary	Public	3-5	950 Seahawk Way	Myrtle Beach	29577	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 626-5831	1,066	69	15.4	100.0%	377 (35.4%)	231 (21.7%)	362 (34.0%)	16 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.6%)	74 (6.9%)	29.3	463^rd of 649 public elementary schools	28.7%		30.7	445^th of 640 public elementary schools	30.5%	18	52.8	57.2	52.5				46.2	35.7	38.9				37.6						$12,826	$1,075	$682	$1,757	$9,668	$1,401	$11,070
Myrtle Beach Early Childhood	Public	PK-K	612 29th Avenue North	Myrtle Beach	29577	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 448-1658	555	31	17.9	100.0%	151 (27.2%)	107 (19.3%)	203 (36.6%)	8 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	85 (15.3%)								(n/a)																			$15,103	$2,826	$601	$3,427	$9,930	$1,746	$11,676
Myrtle Beach Primary	Public	1-2	620 29th Avenue North	Myrtle Beach	29577	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 448-1774	710	44	16.1	100.0%	196 (27.6%)	150 (21.1%)	266 (37.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	92 (13.0%)								(n/a)																			$13,413	$1,486	$691	$2,177	$9,644	$1,592	$11,236
Ten Oaks Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2287 Carolina Forest Blvd.	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Horry 01	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(843) 488-8051	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Pine Island Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	250 Ronald McNair Blvd.	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Horry 01	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(843) 488-8001	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Carolina Shores Acceleration Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	9654 N. Kings Hwy 1st Floor	Myrtle Beach	29572	Horry County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(843) 867-3575	277	8	34.6	10.7%	163 (58.8%)	65 (23.5%)	33 (11.9%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.4%)	1 (0.4%)	10 (3.6%)	20.6	209^th of 245 public high schools	14.7%		14.3	212^th of 235 public high schools	9.8%	3															61.5	37.5	20.7	77.6	$15,649	$73	$4,575	$4,647	$179	$10,823	$11,002
Coastal High School	Public, Charter	9-12	2100 River Oaks Drive	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Limestone Charters Association	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(843) 788-9898	198	21	9.6	52.1%	139 (70.2%)	24 (12.1%)	19 (9.6%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (7.6%)	64.4	82^nd of 245 public high schools	66.5%		53.4	97^th of 235 public high schools	58.7%	15																63.9	61.4	88.2	$14,745	$831	$69	$899	$7,316	$6,530	$13,846

Cities Near Myrtle Beach

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Conway	7.25 mi	17	55^th
Little River	8.31 mi	4	58^th
North Myrtle Beach	9.07 mi	1	8^th
Murrells Inlet	16.25 mi	2	15^th
Loris	16.3 mi	4	120^th

See the top SC South Carolina cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Carolina Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.