High Schools in Dillon 03

Dillon 03 is a small South Carolina school district with just one high school, Latta High, serving grades 9-12 with 422 students in the town of Latta.

Latta High presents a mixed picture for parents to consider. The school's graduation rate is solid at 87.5%, slightly above the state average, and its dropout rate of 1.7% is below the state's 2.1%. However, the school's overall state ranking has declined sharply over three years, falling from 82nd (65th percentile, 3 stars) in 2023-2024 to 145th (41st percentile, 2 stars) in 2025-2026. This decline is puzzling given some strong subject-area results. In 2024-2025, English 2 proficiency was exceptional at 91.42% — five points above the state — and U.S. History proficiency (66.31%) also beat the state average. Yet the same year, Algebra 1 proficiency was just 47.61%, a staggering 26 points below the state's 73.95%, and English 1 proficiency lagged at 49.34% versus the state's 61.66%. This dramatic gap between English 2 and English 1 (a 42-point difference) suggests inconsistent performance across grade levels and subjects.

More recent 2025-2026 data shows continued struggles: English 2 dropped to 82.36% (just below state), U.S. History fell to 57.65% (below state), and English 1 remained weak at 48.54%. Chronic absenteeism affects 20.2% of students — higher than the district's 18.2% but below the state's 22.3%. With per-student spending of $11,917 and a 17.5:1 student-teacher ratio, resources appear adequate, yet the downward trajectory across multiple subjects points to systemic challenges. Parents should note that since this is the district's only high school, all district metrics mirror the school's performance exactly, making Latta High's recent decline particularly significant for the entire Dillon 03 community. The school's strong graduation rate is a positive, but the urgent need for math intervention and attendance support is clear.