Summary:
The Horry 01 school district in South Carolina serves 13 middle schools (including intermediate schools) that collectively educate roughly 11,400 students across grades 5-8, with the district earning a 4-star rating and ranking in the 88th percentile statewide.
For parents, the standout school is Ocean Bay Middle, the district's only 5-star school, ranking in the 91st percentile with the highest proficiency rates in ELA (75%), Math (65%), and strong science scores. Close behind are Ten Oaks Middle and Socastee Middle, both at the 87th percentile, followed by St. James Middle (80th percentile) and North Myrtle Beach Middle (78th percentile). On the other end, Loris Middle is the lowest-performing with a 1-star rating and just 26% math proficiency, while Myrtle Beach Middle (2 stars) also trails district averages. Whittemore Park Middle deserves attention for its improvement, jumping from the 44th to 54th percentile over two years.
One remarkable district-wide strength is Algebra 1: every school achieves a 98-100% pass rate on the EOCEP exam, far exceeding the state average of 74%. However, chronic absenteeism correlates with performance—top schools like Ocean Bay Middle (14.8%) and St. James Intermediate (15.3%) have the lowest rates, while Black Water Middle (25.5%) and Whittemore Park Middle (24.8%) struggle most. Notably, Loris Middle spends the most per student ($15,598) yet performs lowest, suggesting funding alone doesn't drive outcomes. St. James Intermediate posts excellent 6th-grade science (77%) and ELA (74%) scores, feeding well-prepared students into St. James Middle. Overall, the district splits into two tiers: western/northern schools consistently outperform central/eastern ones, with math remaining the weakest subject district-wide.
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