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

Darlington High

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

228^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 248 South Carolina High Schools

Better than 8% of South Carolina high schools

Summary

Darlington High is a large public high school in Darlington, SC, serving 965 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Darlington 01 school district.

Darlington High has experienced a significant decline in its state ranking over the past several years, dropping from the 32nd percentile in 2020-2021 to the 8th percentile in 2025-2026. This places it among the lowest-performing schools in South Carolina. The school's proficiency rates on state exams are well below state averages, particularly in English 1 (33% proficient vs. 61% statewide) and U.S. History (36% vs. 63%). The graduation rate has also fallen from 90.6% to 79.9% over the same period, while the dropout rate has more than doubled to 4.3%—double the state average. Chronic absenteeism, while improved from a peak of 40%, remains elevated at 24.5%. Notably, the school spends $18,259 per student, which is higher than nearby higher-performing schools like West Florence High ($11,418) and South Florence High ($12,574), suggesting that increased funding has not translated into better outcomes.

There are some bright spots worth noting. Darlington High's English 2 proficiency rate (75%) is much closer to the state average (84%), suggesting students who persist show improvement. The school's Gifted and Talented program ranked in the 73rd percentile in 2022-2023, and its performance with disabled students is comparatively stronger than other subgroups. Within the Darlington 01 district, Mayo High For Math Science & Technology ranks 3rd in the state, demonstrating the district's capacity for excellence. However, the traditional high schools in the district—including Lamar High and Hartsville High—all rank in the bottom 16th percentile, while schools in the neighboring Florence 01 district perform significantly better, ranking in the 50th-64th percentile. This contrast suggests district-level factors may play a significant role in the performance gap.

965

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,704

Per pupil spending ?

76.5%

Directly certified for free meals (2023-24) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2023-24)

≥ 96%

Students (all grades) with required immunizations (2025-26)

525 Spring Street
Darlington, SC 29532

(843) 398-5140

District: Darlington 01

Racial breakdown:

African American:

63.5%

White:

19.6%

Two or more races:

11.6%

See top rated South Carolina high schools

Compare Darlington High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 23rd percentile in 2016 → 8th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (48% vs 69% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the South Carolina average (80% vs 87%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school48%

District avg56%

South Carolina avg69%

228^th of 248

South Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 15 pts since 2016

From bottom 23% (2016) to bottom 8% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4High Schools in the Darlington 01

45^th of 75Darlington 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	13.9	228 of 248	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.5	214 of 240	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.5	212 of 243	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	176 of 237	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.7	174 of 226	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.1	154 of 227	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.1	193 of 225	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.9	176 of 216	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	9.0	204 of 223	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	25.3	177 of 231	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	32.2	157 of 232	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	35.2	140 of 210	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	38.7	129 of 203	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	26.9	162 of 202	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	20.2	168 of 199	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	18.5	171 of 199	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	22.7	166 of 188	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	31.0	147 of 185	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	27.1	178 of 191	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	41.4	156 of 191	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	40.5	146 of 187	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.0	166 of 200	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.8	156 of 196	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.9	160 of 197	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.1	115 of 199	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.4	109 of 190	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.5	89 of 178	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	26.8	146 of 184	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.2	154 of 183	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.6	104 of 136	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.3	118 of 140	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.3	109 of 147	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.5	107 of 141	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	45.8	73 of 139	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.7	69 of 115	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.7	76 of 143	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.3	77 of 137	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.9	208 of 229	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.9	192 of 229	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.5	193 of 231	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.4	184 of 223	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.7	177 of 220	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.5	163 of 213	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.6	189 of 213	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.6	181 of 210	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	68.6	42 of 156	73.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.3	216 of 241	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.4	197 of 230	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.4	203 of 235	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.8	154 of 226	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.1	145 of 220	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.3	135 of 213	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	18.0	187 of 217	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.8	178 of 214	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.1	218 of 233	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.9	208 of 228	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.6	212 of 234	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	28.4	159 of 229	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.0	166 of 224	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.3	144 of 215	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	17.6	177 of 218	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.9	176 of 213	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	10.9	56 of 61	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.3	58 of 59	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.9	52 of 53	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.7	56 of 57	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.9	47 of 48	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	8.9	196 of 203	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.1	181 of 200	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.3	175 of 202	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.2	145 of 197	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.0	142 of 192	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.3	128 of 189	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.0	154 of 191	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.7	149 of 185	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2023)73rd percentile+47 vs school

Disabled (2026)24th percentile+15 vs school

African American (2026)17th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)10th percentile~ school

Female (2026)9th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)8th percentile~ school

Male (2026)6th percentile~ school

White (2026)3rd percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English 275%-9 vs state

U.S. History and the Constitution36%-26 vs state

Biology 1/Applied Biology 233%-28 vs state

★

No ratings yet

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

Rate Darlington 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 Darlington 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				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)	Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
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	Directly certified (2023-24)	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	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	Vaccination: Students (all grades) with required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	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
Darlington High	Public, Magnet	9-12	525 Spring Street	Darlington	29532	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	Yes	No	No	(843) 398-5140	965	71	13.5	76.5%	189 (19.6%)	613 (63.5%)	46 (4.8%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	112 (11.6%)	13.9	228^th of 248 public high schools	8.1%		14.5	214^th of 240 public high schools	10.8%	14		33.2	36.4	74.9	≥ 96%		$17,704	$521	$716	$1,237	$14,303	$2,164	$16,467
Mayo High For Math Science & Technology	Public, Magnet	9-12	405 Chestnut Street	Darlington	29532	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	Yes	No	No	(843) 398-2650	309	23	13.4	36.7%	167 (54.0%)	89 (28.8%)	19 (6.1%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (9.7%)	97.7	3^rd of 248 public high schools	98.8%		95.1	4^th of 240 public high schools	98.3%	1		96.6	97.5	100.0	≥ 96%		$19,374	$519	$944	$1,463	$15,548	$2,363	$17,911
Darlington County Institute of Technology	Public	9-12	160 Pinedale Drive	Darlington	29532	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 398-4796	0	19	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
West Florence High	Public	9-12	221 North Beltline Drive	Florence	29501	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 664-8472	1,827	106	17.3	50.5%	677 (37.1%)	802 (43.9%)	158 (8.6%)	45 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	144 (7.9%)	63.3	89^th of 248 public high schools	64.1%		53.1	100^th of 240 public high schools	58.3%	11	78.2	63.7	67.0	83.6	≥ 96%		$14,476	$508	$700	$1,208	$10,936	$2,332	$13,268
Wilson High	Public	9-12	1411 Old Marion Highway	Florence	29506	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 664-8440	1,373	92	14.9	70.6%	184 (13.4%)	956 (69.6%)	66 (4.8%)	53 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	113 (8.2%)	53.1	116^th of 248 public high schools	53.2%		47	117^th of 240 public high schools	51.3%	1	77.1	47.8	67.8	81.5	≥ 96%		$14,332	$643	$797	$1,439	$10,801	$2,091	$12,892
School Governor's School for Science and Mathematics	Public	11-12	401 Railroad Ave	Hartsville	29550	Darlington County	Governor's School for Science and Mathematics	No	No	No	No	(843) 383-3900	296			—	148 (50.0%)	25 (8.4%)	18 (6.1%)	81 (27.4%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.4%)								(n/a)			100.0		≥ 96%
Hartsville High	Public, Magnet	9-12	701 Lewellyn Avenue	Hartsville	29550	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	Yes	No	No	(843) 383-3130	1,129	74	15.2	61.9%	449 (39.8%)	476 (42.2%)	89 (7.9%)	8 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	107 (9.5%)	21	209^th of 248 public high schools	15.7%		31.8	164^th of 240 public high schools	31.7%	45		36.7	53.1	71.9	≥ 96%		$16,105	$531	$601	$1,132	$12,840	$2,133	$14,973
Advantage Academy	Public	9-12	126 East Howe Springs Road	Florence	29505	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 664-8464	0	25	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Lamar High	Public	9-12	216 North Darlington Avenue	Lamar	29069	Darlington County	Darlington 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 326-5543	268	21	12.7	66.8%	103 (38.4%)	131 (48.9%)	11 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (8.6%)	12.1	230^th of 248 public high schools	7.3%		10.1	224^th of 240 public high schools	6.7%	6		27.6	39.0	73.6	≥ 96%		$21,421	$595	$872	$1,467	$16,850	$3,103	$19,953
South Florence High	Public	9-12	3200 South Irby Street	Florence	29505	Florence County	Florence 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 664-8190	1,580	104	15.2	58.1%	569 (36.0%)	786 (49.7%)	98 (6.2%)	10 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	116 (7.3%)	57.1	106^th of 248 public high schools	57.3%		52.4	102^nd of 240 public high schools	57.5%	4	79.2	56.3	62.8	82.6	≥ 96%		$14,805	$446	$678	$1,125	$11,773	$1,907	$13,680

Frequently Asked Questions about Darlington High

What district is Darlington High in?

Darlington 01

Is Darlington High a good school?

Darlington High ranks in the bottom 8.1% of South Carolina high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Darlington High?

Students at Darlington High are 64% African American, 20% White, 12% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic.

How many students attend Darlington High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 965 students attended Darlington High.

What schools feed into Darlington High?

Darlington High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Brockington Elementary
Elementary : J. L. Cain Elementary
Elementary : Pate Elementary
Middle : Darlington Middle

Rate Darlington High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

SCSouth Carolina High School Rankings

SCSouth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Darlington, SC

Sign up for updates!

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

Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2024–25 through 2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 20, 2026

2025–26 school spending dataOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 12, 2026

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

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.