Summary:
The Spartanburg 02 school district, ranked #7 out of 75 districts in South Carolina, contains two high schools—Boiling Springs High and Chesnee High—serving roughly 3,445 students in grades 9-12, with Boiling Springs (2,772 students) dwarfing Chesnee (673 students) by a 4:1 ratio.
For parents comparing the two, Boiling Springs High is the stronger overall performer: it ranks #55 in the state (78th percentile) versus Chesnee's #70 (71st percentile), boasts a higher graduation rate (90.3% vs. 87.4%), a lower dropout rate (2.1% vs. 2.8%), and far less chronic absenteeism (21.8% vs. 29.0%). Boiling Springs also dominates in English 1 proficiency (71.28% vs. 58.39%) and U.S. History (82.51% vs. 75.13%). However, Chesnee High has notable advantages: it spends 38.5% more per student ($13,085 vs. $9,448), maintains a better student-teacher ratio (15.8:1 vs. 19.5:1), and dramatically outperforms Boiling Springs in Algebra 1 proficiency (77.27% vs. 36.38%) while edging it out in English 2 (87.29% vs. 84.48%).
The most alarming trend is Boiling Springs' Algebra 1 collapse—plummeting from 87.3% to 36.38% proficiency in one year, a 51-point drop that far exceeds the district's own decline and demands investigation. Meanwhile, Chesnee's chronic absenteeism rate of 29% (nearly 1 in 3 students) is a hidden crisis likely dragging down its graduation rate. Both schools have slipped in state rankings over three years (Boiling Springs from #39 to #55; Chesnee from #60 to #70), yet both still beat state averages in graduation rates, U.S. History, and English 2. The takeaway: Boiling Springs offers efficiency and stronger overall outcomes, while Chesnee provides smaller classes and better math results—but each has a critical weakness parents should probe.
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