Beaufort 01

The Beaufort 01 school district serves approximately 18,000 students across 32 schools in South Carolina's Lowcountry, including elementary, middle, and high schools in Bluffton, Hilton Head Island, Beaufort, and surrounding communities.

For parents, the most important takeaway is that school quality varies dramatically depending on where you live. The Bluffton/Hilton Head area is home to the district's standout performers. River Ridge Academy is the crown jewel, ranking in the 92nd percentile statewide with a 5-star rating, and its 3rd grade ELA proficiency (85.4%) and 8th grade math proficiency (67.2%) far exceed district averages. Riverview Charter School has also surged to the 87th percentile, with exceptional 8th grade scores. Other strong options include Okatie Elementary, Red Cedar Elementary, and Bluffton High, which leads the district with a 93.5% graduation rate. In contrast, schools in the Beaufort/Seabrook corridor struggle significantly. Battery Creek High ranks in the 7th percentile with a 0-star rating and a 40.3% chronic absenteeism rate, while Whale Branch Middle and Robert Smalls Leadership Academy also rank in the bottom 15% statewide.

Chronic absenteeism is the clearest predictor of success—schools with rates below 12% are almost all top performers, while those above 30% are struggling. There's also a spending paradox: Whale Branch Middle spends $33,250 per student yet ranks in the 7th percentile, while River Ridge Academy spends just $14,899 and ranks in the 92nd. Encouragingly, Port Royal Elementary has jumped from the 27th to 55th percentile, and Beaufort Elementary boasts a remarkable 0% chronic absenteeism rate, showing that improvement is possible even in challenging circumstances.