High Schools in Marion 10

The Marion 10 school district in South Carolina contains two high schools—Marion High and Mullins High—both serving grades 9 through 12 with nearly identical enrollments of 572 and 557 students, respectively, in a district that ranks in the bottom 1% statewide.

For parents comparing the two schools, Mullins High is the stronger academic performer overall. It holds a 2-star rating versus Marion High's 1-star rating, and it has shown a remarkable turnaround—jumping from the 6th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 51st percentile in 2024-2025 before settling at the 29th percentile in 2025-2026. Mullins also leads in graduation rate (88.4% vs. 86.0%) and outperforms Marion in most subjects, including a dramatic 36.5-point gap in Algebra 1 proficiency in 2024-2025 and a 16.8-point lead in English 2 in 2025-2026. However, Marion High spends $1,811 more per student yet consistently trails Mullins, raising questions about resource effectiveness. Both schools share a critical weakness in English 1, where they score nearly identically (39.37% and 39.33%)—about 21.5 points below the state average.

The most pressing concern for both schools is chronic absenteeism, which is alarmingly high: 37.6% at Marion and 42.4% at Mullins, compared to the state rate of 22.3%. This likely contributes to the extreme year-to-year volatility in test scores, with swings of up to 29.5 points in a single subject. Despite these academic struggles, both schools maintain graduation rates near or above the state average, suggesting a possible emphasis on completion over rigor. The 2025-2026 data shows both schools converging in Algebra 1 and English 1, hinting at district-wide standardization, but Mullins retains a clear edge in upper-level coursework like English 2. Parents should view Mullins as the safer choice academically, while recognizing that both schools face systemic challenges that require attention to attendance and English instruction.