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Fort Dorchester High

Q: Is Fort Dorchester High a good school?

Fort Dorchester High ranks 62 nd of 235 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

62^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 235 South Carolina High Schools

Better than 74% of South Carolina high schools

Summary

Fort Dorchester High is a public high school located in North Charleston, South Carolina, serving 2,301 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Dorchester 02 School District, which is ranked 19 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Fort Dorchester High consistently ranks among the top 30% of high schools in South Carolina, with a current ranking of 62 out of 235 schools. The school's performance on End-of-Course (EOCEP) exams is impressive, with proficiency rates exceeding the state and district averages in subjects like Algebra 1, English 1, English 2, and U.S. History. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Fort Dorchester High had an 81.87% proficiency rate in Algebra 1/Mathematics, compared to 80.02% for the Dorchester 02 district and 73.95% for the state. The school also maintains a strong four-year graduation rate, ranging from 83.8% to 95.5% over the past few years, and a relatively low dropout rate of 0.6% to 2.4%.

While Fort Dorchester High outperforms many nearby high schools, including Hanahan High, Stratford High, and RB Stall High, it lags behind the highly selective and academically rigorous Charleston School of the Arts and Academic Magnet High, which are both ranked among the top 10 high schools in the state. Additionally, Fort Dorchester High has experienced relatively high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 22.5% to 38.4% over the past few years, which is an area of concern for the school and district.

2,344

Students ?

17.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,548

Per pupil spending ?

60.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8500 Patriot Boulevard
North Charleston, SC 29420

(843) 760-4450

District: Dorchester 02

Feeder schools for Fort Dorchester High:

Elementary:	Eagle Nest Elementary
	Fort Dorchester Elementary
	Joseph R. Pye Elementary
	Windsor Hill Arts Infused Elementary
Middle:	River Oaks Middle

Racial breakdown:

African American:

41.3%

White:

29.6%

Hispanic:

17.5%

See top rated South Carolina high schools

Compare Fort Dorchester High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 75th percentile in 2015 → 74th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Carolina average (77% vs 71% meeting standards)

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the South Carolina average (87%)

✓Above the South Carolina median (74th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school77%

District avg76%

South Carolina avg71%

62^nd of 235

South Carolina public high schools ?

Top 26%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3High Schools in the Dorchester 02

19^th of 75Dorchester 02 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
2025	65.0	62 of 235	73.6%	★★★★☆
2024	63.3	68 of 235	71.1%	★★★★☆
2023	64.9	63 of 237	73.4%	★★★★☆
2022	60.1	67 of 226	70.4%	★★★★☆
2021	65.1	59 of 227	74.0%	★★★★☆
2019	60.9	50 of 225	77.8%	★★★★☆
2018	63.6	46 of 216	78.7%	★★★★☆
2017	55.6	64 of 223	71.3%	★★★★☆
2016	57.7	71 of 231	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	61.2	57 of 232	75.4%	★★★★☆
2014	73.8	50 of 210	76.2%	★★★★☆
2013	70.5	57 of 203	71.9%	★★★★☆
2012	74.6	48 of 202	76.2%	★★★★☆
2011	63.6	72 of 199	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	70.0	54 of 199	72.9%	★★★★☆
2009	68.7	58 of 188	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	72.7	50 of 185	73.0%	★★★★☆
2007	68.3	47 of 191	75.4%	★★★★☆
2006	74.6	22 of 191	88.5%	★★★★☆
2005	74.6	26 of 187	86.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	73.0	35 of 194	82.0%	★★★★☆
2024	73.4	34 of 194	82.5%	★★★★☆
2023	72.1	32 of 199	83.9%	★★★★☆
2022	73.6	32 of 190	83.2%	★★★★☆
2021	78.6	19 of 178	89.3%	★★★★☆
2019	75.3	17 of 184	90.8%	★★★★★
2018	75.7	20 of 183	89.1%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	70.0	4 of 13	69.2%	★★★★☆
2024	27.0	11 of 13	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	2.8	11 of 11	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	63.7	4 of 9	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	83.7	1 of 7	85.7%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	49.1	67 of 139	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.2	54 of 145	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.2	38 of 141	73.0%	★★★★☆
2022	54.7	52 of 139	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.9	43 of 115	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.4	44 of 143	69.2%	★★★★☆
2018	55.3	53 of 137	61.3%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	66.4	15 of 69	78.3%	★★★★☆
2024	76.8	13 of 71	81.7%	★★★★☆
2023	73.5	14 of 68	79.4%	★★★★☆
2022	80.5	7 of 61	88.5%	★★★★★
2021	84.1	5 of 46	89.1%	★★★★★
2019	80.0	10 of 64	84.4%	★★★★☆
2018	76.4	10 of 58	82.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	70.2	53 of 225	76.4%	★★★★☆
2024	63.7	66 of 225	70.7%	★★★★☆
2023	64.4	68 of 223	69.5%	★★★★☆
2022	58.6	75 of 220	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.3	66 of 213	69.0%	★★★★☆
2019	62.5	55 of 213	74.2%	★★★★☆
2018	69.7	35 of 210	83.3%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	71.9	11 of 153	92.8%	★★★★★
2024	66.3	59 of 157	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.9	65 of 156	58.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	67.8	32 of 121	73.6%	★★★★☆
2024	63.5	37 of 121	69.4%	★★★★☆
2023	79.0	16 of 119	86.6%	★★★★☆
2022	69.7	24 of 108	77.8%	★★★★☆
2021	77.7	13 of 93	86.0%	★★★★☆
2019	81.1	7 of 86	91.9%	★★★★★
2018	82.8	8 of 80	90.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	61.8	59 of 226	73.9%	★★★★☆
2024	64.4	60 of 229	73.8%	★★★★☆
2023	63.4	59 of 226	73.9%	★★★★☆
2022	62.2	60 of 220	72.7%	★★★★☆
2021	63.7	51 of 213	76.1%	★★★★☆
2019	61.1	44 of 217	79.7%	★★★★☆
2018	62.8	43 of 214	79.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	60.2	76 of 224	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.1	66 of 228	71.1%	★★★★☆
2023	64.1	65 of 229	71.6%	★★★★☆
2022	61.6	61 of 224	72.8%	★★★★☆
2021	65.4	53 of 215	75.3%	★★★★☆
2019	62.2	46 of 218	78.9%	★★★★☆
2018	59.5	58 of 213	72.8%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	58.2	8 of 21	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.2	3 of 15	80.0%	★★★★☆
2023	65.9	5 of 15	66.7%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	79.3	10 of 59	83.1%	★★★★☆
2024	88.1	3 of 53	94.3%	★★★★★
2023	81.3	8 of 57	86.0%	★★★★☆
2022	62.0	17 of 48	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.9	10 of 31	67.7%	★★★★☆
2019	74.7	6 of 23	73.9%	★★★★☆
2018	92.0	1 of 22	95.5%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	77.7	29 of 196	85.2%	★★★★☆
2024	74.7	37 of 196	81.1%	★★★★☆
2023	73.0	46 of 197	76.6%	★★★★☆
2022	72.8	36 of 192	81.3%	★★★★☆
2021	72.7	35 of 189	81.5%	★★★★☆
2019	71.5	26 of 191	86.4%	★★★★☆
2018	72.0	30 of 185	83.8%	★★★★☆

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 (2025)93rd percentile+19 vs school

White (2025)85th percentile+12 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)83rd percentile+9 vs school

African American (2025)82nd percentile+8 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)78th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)76th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)74th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)74th percentile~ school

Asian (2025)69th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2025)66th percentile-8 vs school

Military Connected (2025)62nd percentile-12 vs school

Disabled (2025)52nd percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English 290%+3 vs state

Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 282%+8 vs state

English 168%+6 vs state

U.S. History and the Constitution68%+6 vs state

3.5

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

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1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, February 24, 2018

Fort Dorchester High School provides a number of various academic pursuits for the academically inclined. Students can pursue an Advanced Placement Capstone diploma, an International Baccalaureate diploma (FDHS is the only high school in the Dorchester District 2 with an IB program), Dual Enrollment, multiple AP, IB and Honors classes to choose from.
I feel my child is receiving a quality education at FDHS with the necessary opportunities to prepare them for success in their chosen career in the field of Engineering. The staff and administration are dedicated to the success of their students education. Close Quote

by a student
Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Forts an "okay" school. I hope you/your child has an outgoing personality, otherwise they will get unnoticed by the students and Teachers. its best if you/they play a sport that way the coach or teammates will look out for them. this school has gone through many changes since I started a couple years ago. you'll do just fine in this school if you mind your own (the students aren't loyal). Their are few to little fights here and rarely any pep-rallies or student activities ( most you have to pay a small fee for)!! they have a good sports department also, fort is generally a good school; but has minor issues that need to be fixed. Close Quote

Schools Near Fort Dorchester High

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SC READY English Language Arts (2025)			SC READY Mathematics (2025)			SC READY Science (2025)	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2025)	EOCEP English 1 (2025)	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution (2025)	EOCEP English 2 (2025)	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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Fort Dorchester High	Public	9-12	8500 Patriot Boulevard	North Charleston	29420	Dorchester County	Dorchester 02	No	No	No	No	(843) 760-4450	2,344	135	17.3		694 (29.6%)	967 (41.3%)	410 (17.5%)	83 (3.5%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	186 (7.9%)	65	62^nd of 235 public high schools	73.6%		63.3	68^th of 235 public high schools	71.1%	6								81.9	68.2	67.5	89.8	$11,548	$672	$732	$1,405	$8,723	$1,420	$10,144
R. B. Stall High	Public	9-12	3625 Ashley Phosphate Road	North Charleston	29418	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 764-2200	2,135	138	15.4		149 (7.0%)	848 (39.7%)	1,030 (48.2%)	22 (1.0%)	2 (0.1%)	4 (0.2%)	80 (3.7%)	15.2	208^th of 235 public high schools	11.5%		14.3	208^th of 235 public high schools	11.5%									65.1	41.2	41.3	71.6	$18,862	$3,975	$1,544	$5,519	$10,091	$3,252	$13,343
Palmetto Scholars Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	7499 Dorchester Road	North Charleston	29418	Charleston County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	No	(843) 300-4118	507	35	14.4		236 (46.5%)	132 (26.0%)	67 (13.2%)	38 (7.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (6.3%)	76	36^th of 235 public high schools	84.7%		86.6	16^th of 235 public high schools	93.2%	20	72.3	82.2	71.8	44.2	46.4	30.2	59.5	83.8	70.0	75.4	98.6	$10,156	$250	$284	$535	$6,830	$2,792	$9,621
Berkeley County Middle College High	Public	11-12	7000 Rivers Avenue Bldg 700 St	Charleston	29406	Charleston County	Berkeley 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 899-8110	117	5	23.4		59 (50.4%)	27 (23.1%)	13 (11.1%)	7 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	10 (8.5%)								(n/a)										92.3		$19,803	$220	$5,077	$5,297	$12,324	$2,182	$14,507
Palmetto Excel	Public, Charter	9-12	7000 Rivers Avenue Building 10	North Charleston	29406	Charleston County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(803) 734-8322	0	3	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Learn4Life High School-Charleston	Public, Charter	9-12	6209 Rivers Avenue	N Charleston	29406	Charleston County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	No	(843) 666-6362	169	7	23.4		23 (13.6%)	83 (49.1%)	56 (33.1%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.0%)	4.9	230^th of 235 public high schools	2.1%		1.6	234^th of 235 public high schools	0.4%	4								6.9	13.7	32.1	74.3	$11,995	$651	$567	$1,218	$4,840	$5,937	$10,777
Lowcountry Acceleration Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	5935 Rivers Avenue suite 101A	N Charleston	29406	Charleston County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	No	(843) 804-6778	619	15	42.6		191 (30.9%)	294 (47.5%)	107 (17.3%)	7 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.2%)	11.1	218^th of 235 public high schools	7.2%		5.5	231^st of 235 public high schools	1.7%	13								26.8	34.2	40.9	76.8	$11,237	$74	$471	$545	$179	$10,514	$10,692
Hanahan High	Public	9-12	6015 Murray Drive	Hanahan	29410	Berkeley County	Berkeley 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 820-3710	1,061	64	16.5		537 (50.6%)	109 (10.3%)	261 (24.6%)	38 (3.6%)	16 (1.5%)	2 (0.2%)	98 (9.2%)	50.5	107^th of 235 public high schools	54.5%		45.2	120^th of 235 public high schools	48.9%	13								67.2	67.0	66.2	82.8	$14,018	$617	$780	$1,397	$10,911	$1,709	$12,620
Stratford High	Public	9-12	951 Crowfield Boulevard	Goose Creek	29445	Berkeley County	Berkeley 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 820-4000	2,605	163	15.9		1,010 (38.8%)	711 (27.3%)	571 (21.9%)	44 (1.7%)	12 (0.5%)	3 (0.1%)	254 (9.8%)	42.9	130^th of 235 public high schools	44.7%		51.7	94^th of 235 public high schools	60.0%	36								59.6	65.0	56.3	84.3	$12,626	$450	$900	$1,350	$9,531	$1,745	$11,275
Goose Creek High	Public, Magnet	9-12	1137 Red Bank Road	Goose Creek	29445	Berkeley County	Berkeley 01	No	Yes	No	No	(843) 553-5300	1,973	119	16.6		544 (27.6%)	726 (36.8%)	451 (22.9%)	36 (1.8%)	9 (0.5%)	4 (0.2%)	203 (10.3%)	40.5	140^th of 235 public high schools	40.4%		32	155^th of 235 public high schools	34.0%	15								53.0	67.1	55.5	83.9	$11,827	$411	$854	$1,265	$8,643	$1,920	$10,562

Frequently Asked Questions about Fort Dorchester High

What schools feed into Fort Dorchester High?

Fort Dorchester High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Eagle Nest Elementary
Elementary : Fort Dorchester Elementary
Elementary : Joseph R. Pye Elementary
Elementary : Windsor Hill Arts Infused Elementary
Middle : River Oaks Middle

What is the racial makeup of Fort Dorchester High?

Students at Fort Dorchester High are 41% African American, 30% White, 17% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

Is Fort Dorchester High a good school?

Fort Dorchester High ranks 62^nd of 235 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Fort Dorchester High in?

Dorchester 02

How many students attend Fort Dorchester High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,344 students attended Fort Dorchester High.

Rate Fort Dorchester High!

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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.