Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

May River High

Q: Is May River High a good school?

May River High ranks 90 th of 248 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

90^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 248 South Carolina High Schools

Better than 64% of South Carolina high schools

Summary

May River High in Bluffton, SC, is a large public high school serving 1,731 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Beaufort 01 school district.

May River has a strong history of academic success, consistently earning 4-star ratings and ranking in the top 40-50 schools in South Carolina from 2018 through 2024. However, the most recent data shows a notable decline, with the school dropping to 102nd and then 89th place in the state, corresponding to a 3-star rating. This recent dip is driven by sharp drops in performance among specific student groups, including English Language Learners and students with disabilities, whose rankings have fallen dramatically. The school also struggles with Algebra 1 proficiency, which dropped from 74% to 61% in just one year, now falling below both district and state averages. Chronic absenteeism has also spiked to 29.3%, significantly higher than the district average of 21.3% and the state average of 22.3%. Interestingly, Bluffton High, located just 4.92 miles away, has maintained its 4-star rating (62nd in the state) during the same period, suggesting these challenges may be specific to May River rather than community-wide.

Despite these concerns, May River has several bright spots. The graduation rate is an impressive 92.1%, higher than both the district (89.3%) and state (86.7%) averages, and the dropout rate of 0.9% is less than half the state average. The school also excels in English 2 (85.3% proficiency) and U.S. History (64.95% proficiency), both above district and state averages. May River is a standout for military-connected students, earning a 4-star rating in 2025-2026 and a 5-star rating in 2023-2024. However, per-student spending at $13,762 is lower than all three in-district peers, including Battery Creek High ($17,142), Hilton Head Island High ($15,480), and Bluffton High ($14,631). May River is at a critical juncture—it has a strong foundation, but reversing the recent declines for its most vulnerable students will be key to returning to its former 4-star status.

1,731

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,762

Per pupil spending ?

45.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

601 New Riverside Road
Bluffton, SC 29910

(843) 836-4900

District: Beaufort 01

Feeder schools for May River High:

Elementary:	Okatie Elementary
	Pritchardville Elementary
	River Ridge Academy
Middle:	Bluffton Middle
	H. E. McCracken Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.0%

Hispanic:

31.9%

African American:

8.7%

See top rated South Carolina high schools

Compare May River High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 84th percentile in 2019 → 64th in 2026

Strengths

✓92% graduate in 4 years — above the South Carolina average (87%)

✓Above the South Carolina median (64th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (29% vs 22% South Carolina)

!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2019

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school72%

District avg69%

South Carolina avg69%

90^th of 248

South Carolina public high schools ?

Top 36%▼ down 20 pts since 2019

From top 16% (2019) to top 36% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd 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	62.8	90 of 248	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.9	103 of 240	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.8	40 of 243	83.5%	★★★★☆
2023	75.3	38 of 237	84.0%	★★★★☆
2022	67.1	51 of 226	77.4%	★★★★☆
2021	66.6	51 of 227	77.5%	★★★★☆
2019	65.4	37 of 225	83.6%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.1	123 of 200	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.1	103 of 196	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	80.6	24 of 197	87.8%	★★★★☆
2023	75.7	28 of 199	85.9%	★★★★☆
2022	69.5	41 of 190	78.4%	★★★★☆
2021	50.9	71 of 178	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.1	42 of 184	77.2%	★★★★☆
2018	74.0	25 of 183	86.3%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.5	108 of 136	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.8	94 of 140	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	64.6	43 of 147	70.7%	★★★★☆
2022	49.3	66 of 139	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.4	75 of 115	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	78.5	20 of 143	86.0%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	14.8	56 of 59	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.5	68 of 70	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.2	60 of 71	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	67.9	19 of 68	72.1%	★★★★☆
2022	54.2	27 of 61	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.5	20 of 46	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.3	25 of 64	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.4	15 of 58	74.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.7	87 of 229	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.5	111 of 229	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.4	41 of 231	82.3%	★★★★☆
2023	77.0	32 of 223	85.7%	★★★★☆
2022	64.1	62 of 220	71.8%	★★★★☆
2021	68.8	48 of 213	77.5%	★★★★☆
2019	66.6	43 of 213	79.8%	★★★★☆
2018	70.9	31 of 210	85.2%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.6	89 of 155	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	64.9	64 of 154	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.8	62 of 158	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.0	81 of 156	48.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.7	96 of 124	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.7	103 of 122	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	54.2	49 of 122	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.2	27 of 119	77.3%	★★★★☆
2022	67.7	28 of 108	74.1%	★★★★☆
2021	64.3	26 of 93	72.0%	★★★★☆
2019	62.0	31 of 86	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.5	28 of 80	65.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.4	113 of 241	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.1	114 of 230	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.8	53 of 235	77.4%	★★★★☆
2023	76.7	31 of 226	86.3%	★★★★☆
2022	70.5	38 of 220	82.7%	★★★★☆
2021	56.1	65 of 213	69.5%	★★★★☆
2019	61.8	40 of 217	81.6%	★★★★☆
2018	68.0	29 of 214	86.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.8	87 of 233	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.5	94 of 228	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.7	41 of 234	82.5%	★★★★☆
2023	73.1	42 of 229	81.7%	★★★★☆
2022	68.3	47 of 224	79.0%	★★★★☆
2021	63.0	64 of 215	70.2%	★★★★☆
2019	66.9	35 of 218	83.9%	★★★★☆
2018	68.6	31 of 213	85.4%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.0	5 of 21	76.2%	★★★★☆
2025	59.8	7 of 21	66.7%	★★★★☆
2024	75.7	2 of 15	86.7%	★★★★★
2023	49.0	10 of 15	33.3%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.0	18 of 61	70.5%	★★★★☆
2025	57.2	25 of 59	57.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.3	67 of 203	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.6	68 of 200	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	80.2	27 of 202	86.6%	★★★★☆
2023	76.0	39 of 197	80.2%	★★★★☆
2022	62.7	57 of 192	70.3%	★★★★☆
2021	69.8	44 of 189	76.7%	★★★★☆
2019	68.8	33 of 191	82.7%	★★★★☆
2018	72.8	25 of 185	86.5%	★★★★☆

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)

Military Connected (2026)76th percentile+12 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)70th percentile+7 vs school

White (2026)67th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)63rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)62nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)53rd percentile-11 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)43rd percentile-21 vs school

African American (2026)38th percentile-25 vs school

Hispanic (2026)23rd percentile-41 vs school

Disabled (2026)21st percentile-43 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)5th percentile-59 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English 285%~ state avg

U.S. History and the Constitution65%~ state avg

Biology 1/Applied Biology 264%+3 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate May River High and help other families decide.

Rate May River High

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near May River High

Load more schools when map is moved

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 Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 (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 (2024)	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 Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 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
May River High	Public	9-12	601 New Riverside Road	Bluffton	29910	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 836-4900	1,731	112	15.5	45.3%	918 (53.0%)	151 (8.7%)	552 (31.9%)	29 (1.7%)	3 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	75 (4.3%)	62.8	90^th of 248 public high schools	63.7%		51.9	103^rd of 240 public high schools	57.1%	13									64.2	65.0	85.3	$13,762	$544	$284	$828	$10,413	$2,520	$12,934
Bluffton High	Public	9-12	12 H. E. McCracken Circle	Bluffton	29910	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 706-8800	1,375	92	14.9	54.9%	475 (34.5%)	168 (12.2%)	661 (48.1%)	26 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (3.3%)	71.5	62^nd of 248 public high schools	75.0%		63	70^th of 240 public high schools	70.8%	8								59.3	74.0	73.0	84.5	$14,631	$529	$329	$858	$11,321	$2,452	$13,773
Hardeeville Junior /Senior High	Public	6-12	150 Hurricane Alley	Hardeeville	29927	Jasper County	Jasper 01	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(843) 310-1898	696	43	16.3	100.0%	23 (3.3%)	216 (31.0%)	447 (64.2%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.7%)	26	193^rd of 248 public high schools	22.2%		27.3	177^th of 240 public high schools	26.3%	16	28.5	45.7	43.6	14.4	20.6	15.6	32.1	65.7	49.5	45.1	72.2
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)
Hilton Head Island High	Public	9-12	70 Wilborn Road	Hilton Head Island	29926	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 689-4800	1,265	96	13.1	54.1%	487 (38.5%)	149 (11.8%)	572 (45.2%)	19 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	37 (2.9%)	62.4	94^th of 248 public high schools	62.1%		54.4	91^st of 240 public high schools	62.1%	3									60.6	74.5	83.1	$15,480	$592	$265	$857	$12,102	$2,520	$14,623
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	100.0%	40 (5.4%)	345 (46.7%)	340 (46.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (1.9%)	26.2	192^nd of 248 public high schools	22.6%		28.7	175^th of 240 public high schools	27.1%	17	32.9	28.0	34.7	22.7	11.2	18.3	29.9		49.6	35.5	77.6
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	71.9%	149 (18.4%)	375 (46.4%)	226 (27.9%)	6 (0.7%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	49 (6.1%)	11.5	231^st of 248 public high schools	6.9%		7.8	228^th of 240 public high schools	5.0%	3									37.8	41.7	65.8	$17,142	$507	$405	$912	$12,669	$3,561	$16,230

Frequently Asked Questions about May River High

What schools feed into May River High?

May River High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Okatie Elementary
Elementary : Pritchardville Elementary
Elementary : River Ridge Academy
Middle : Bluffton Middle
Middle : H. E. McCracken Middle

Is May River High a good school?

May River High ranks 90^th of 248 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend May River High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,731 students attended May River High.

What district is May River High in?

Beaufort 01

What is the racial makeup of May River High?

Students at May River High are 53% White, 32% Hispanic, 9% African American, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Rate May River High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

SCSouth Carolina High School Rankings

SCSouth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Bluffton, SC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for May River High!

Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresAug 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.