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Whale Branch Early College High

Q: Is Whale Branch Early College High a good school?

Whale Branch Early College High ranks 161 st of 245 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

161^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 245 South Carolina High Schools

Better than 34% of South Carolina high schools

Summary

Whale Branch Early College High is a small high school in Seabrook, SC, serving 390 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Beaufort 01 school district.

This school stands out for its exceptional investment in students. With a per-student spending of $23,865 and a very low student-teacher ratio of 9.5, it provides a resource-rich environment compared to nearby Beaufort High ($16,248 per student, 13.3 ratio) and Battery Creek High ($17,142 per student, 11.4 ratio). This investment appears to pay off in mathematics—Algebra 1 proficiency rates have been outstanding, reaching 87.38% in 2023-2024, far exceeding the state average of 72.5% and outperforming Beaufort High by over 20 points. The school also shows notable success in serving its African American students, who have consistently ranked in the 80th percentile statewide in recent years. Its graduation rate of 89.4% exceeds the state average, and its dropout rate is just 1.0%—a stark contrast to Ridgeland Secondary Academy of Excellence in the neighboring Jasper 01 district, which has a 67% graduation rate.

However, the school faces significant challenges. U.S. History proficiency has plummeted to just 25.29%, a 38-point gap compared to district and state averages. Chronic absenteeism remains persistently high at 28.9%, well above district and state levels. Additionally, there has been a dramatic recent decline in performance for female students, dropping from the 57th percentile to the 20th percentile in just two years. While the school's overall state ranking has slipped to the 34th percentile, its strong math program, high investment per student, and success with specific student groups suggest pockets of excellence that parents may want to explore further.

390

Students ?

9.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,865

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

169 Detour Road
Seabrook, SC 29940

(843) 466-2700

District: Beaufort 01

Feeder schools for Whale Branch Early College High:

Elementary:	Whale Branch Elementary
Middle:	Whale Branch Middle

Racial breakdown:

African American:

81.8%

Hispanic:

8.7%

White:

6.4%

See top rated South Carolina high schools

Compare Whale Branch Early College High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 34th percentile in 2016 → 34th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (57% vs 69% meeting standards)

!U.S. History and the Constitution scores 37 pts below the South Carolina average

!Near the bottom of Beaufort 01's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school57%

District avg69%

South Carolina avg69%

161^st of 245

South Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 34%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 6High Schools in the Beaufort 01

28^th of 75Beaufort 01 among South Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.4	161 of 245	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.8	142 of 235	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.2	99 of 235	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.1	113 of 237	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.7	113 of 226	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.4	118 of 227	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.7	120 of 225	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.8	113 of 216	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	36.3	124 of 223	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	32.9	153 of 231	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	31.1	158 of 232	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	25.0	161 of 210	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	14.6	179 of 203	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.6	77 of 198	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	70.1	38 of 194	80.4%	★★★★☆
2024	73.1	36 of 194	81.4%	★★★★☆
2023	66.6	43 of 199	78.4%	★★★★☆
2022	70.1	40 of 190	78.9%	★★★★☆
2021	71.7	30 of 178	83.1%	★★★★☆
2019	56.7	59 of 184	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.8	35 of 183	80.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.5	181 of 227	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.6	155 of 225	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.8	97 of 225	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.5	125 of 223	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.6	137 of 220	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.0	121 of 213	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.9	128 of 213	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.7	108 of 210	48.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.2	131 of 238	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.1	105 of 226	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.9	68 of 229	70.3%	★★★★☆
2023	55.5	79 of 226	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.7	89 of 220	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.7	72 of 213	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.3	104 of 217	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.0	93 of 214	56.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.3	134 of 231	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.0	116 of 224	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.4	103 of 228	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.7	93 of 229	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.8	86 of 224	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.4	112 of 215	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.7	111 of 218	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.6	127 of 213	40.4%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2026)61st percentile+27 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)45th percentile+11 vs school

Male (2026)42nd percentile+8 vs school

Female (2026)20th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English 279%-4 vs state

English 164%+3 vs state

U.S. History and the Constitution25%-37 vs state

★

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Schools Near Whale Branch Early College High

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SC READY English Language Arts (2026)			SC READY Mathematics (2026)			SC READY Science (2026)	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2026)	EOCEP English 1 (2026)	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution (2026)	EOCEP English 2 (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SC READY English Language Arts 6th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 8th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 7th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 8th Grade	SC READY Science 6th Grade	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	EOCEP English 1 End of Course	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution End of Course	EOCEP English 2 End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Whale Branch Early College High	Public, Magnet	9-12	169 Detour Road	Seabrook	29940	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 466-2700	390	41	9.5		25 (6.4%)	319 (81.8%)	34 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.8%)	35.4	161^st of 245 public high schools	34.3%		39.8	142^nd of 235 public high schools	39.6%	19									63.8	25.3	79.4	$23,865	$1,490	$586	$2,076	$17,412	$4,377	$21,788
Battery Creek High	Public, Magnet	9-12	1 Blue Dolphin Drive	Beaufort	29906	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	Yes	No	No	(843) 322-5500	809	71	11.4		149 (18.4%)	375 (46.4%)	226 (27.9%)	6 (0.7%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	49 (6.1%)	11.4	229^th of 245 public high schools	6.5%		7.8	224^th of 235 public high schools	4.7%	5									37.8	41.7	65.8	$17,142	$507	$405	$912	$12,669	$3,561	$16,230
Beaufort High	Public, Magnet	9-12	84 Sea Island Parkway	Beaufort	29907	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	Yes	No	No	(843) 322-2000	1,104	83	13.3		474 (42.9%)	433 (39.2%)	123 (11.1%)	16 (1.4%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	54 (4.9%)	59.8	102^nd of 245 public high schools	58.4%		53.6	96^th of 235 public high schools	59.1%	6								52.4	60.0	62.0	88.0	$16,248	$838	$374	$1,212	$12,323	$2,713	$15,036
Ridgeland High	Public	9-12	5 Correctional Road	Ridgeland	29936	Jasper County	Dept Of Correction N04	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 896-3252	4	4	1.0		2 (50.0%)	2 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Ridgeland Secondary Academy of Excellence	Public	6-12	250 Jaguar Trail	Ridgeland	29936	Jasper County	Jasper 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 489-8844	739	57	12.9		40 (5.4%)	345 (46.7%)	340 (46.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (1.9%)	26.1	191^st of 245 public high schools	22.0%		28.7	172^nd of 235 public high schools	26.8%	19	32.9	28.0	34.7	22.7	11.2	18.3	29.9		49.6	35.5	77.6
Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career Excellence	Public	10-12	80 Lowcountry Drive	Ridgeland	29936	Jasper County	Beaufort 80	No	No	No	No	(843) 987-8107	0	18	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Whale Branch Early College High

What schools feed into Whale Branch Early College High?

Whale Branch Early College High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Whale Branch Elementary
Middle : Whale Branch Middle

What is the racial makeup of Whale Branch Early College High?

Students at Whale Branch Early College High are 82% African American, 9% Hispanic, 6% White, 3% Two or more races.

What district is Whale Branch Early College High in?

Beaufort 01

Is Whale Branch Early College High a good school?

Whale Branch Early College High ranks 161^st of 245 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Whale Branch Early College High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 390 students attended Whale Branch Early College High.

Rate Whale Branch Early College High!

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Schools in Seabrook, SC

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresNewAug 10, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataNov 3, 2025

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 3, 2025

2024–25 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresSep 2, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Carolina Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.