Summary:
Pendleton High is the sole high school in the Anderson 04 district, serving grades 9-12 with 924 students in Anderson, SC. The district itself is a standout, ranking 4th out of 75 districts in South Carolina (95th percentile) with a 5-star rating, though the high school's own state ranking has slipped from 55th to 90th over the past two years.
Academically, Pendleton High shows clear strengths in English and math. English 2 proficiency is a standout at 87.02%, well above the state average of 83.79%, while English 1 (63.51%) and Algebra 1 (79.6%) also exceed state benchmarks. The school's graduation rate is exceptional at 92.6% versus the state's 86.7%, and its dropout rate of just 0.7% is one-third of the state average (2.1%). However, U.S. History proficiency has declined sharply from 68.51% to 62.04%, now falling just below the state average of 62.57%. The student-teacher ratio is 15.9:1, with per-student spending of $14,224.
The most striking issue is chronic absenteeism: 29.4% of students are chronically absent, which is 73% higher than the district average (17.0%) and 32% higher than the state average (22.3%). This paradox—strong test scores and graduation rates despite high absenteeism—suggests the school has effective intervention strategies, but also points to untapped potential. The declining state ranking, despite above-average metrics, may reflect that other schools are improving faster or that the ranking weighs factors like attendance heavily. For parents, Pendleton High offers strong academics and student retention, but addressing attendance could be the key to reversing the ranking slide and unlocking even better outcomes.
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