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Lake City High

Public Grades 9-12

208^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 248 South Carolina High Schools

Better than 16% of South Carolina high schools

Summary

Lake City High in Lake City, SC, serves approximately 492 students in grades 9-12 within the Florence 03 school district. The school has faced significant academic challenges over the past decade, consistently ranking in the bottom quartile of South Carolina high schools, though it has shown recent improvement from a 0-star rating in 2022-2023 to a 1-star rating in 2025-2026.

There are encouraging signs of positive momentum at Lake City High. The graduation rate has climbed from 67.9% in 2022-2023 to 80.1% in 2024-2025—a 12.2 percentage point increase over two years—though it still trails the state average of 86.7%. Chronic absenteeism has also dropped dramatically from 46.0% to 30.0% over the same period, and Algebra 1 proficiency improved from 45.39% to 60.47%. However, significant challenges remain. The school's U.S. History proficiency rate sits at just 30.7%, less than half the state average of 62.57%, and the school spends $18,544 per student—substantially more than nearby South Florence High ($12,574) and Johnsonville High ($15,192)—yet achieves lower outcomes than these schools. The school also struggles to support disabled students, ranking in the 16th percentile for this population in 2025-2026.

A particularly revealing comparison is with J. Paul Truluck Creative Arts and Science Magnet, located less than a mile away in the same district. Truluck achieves a 93.4% graduation rate versus Lake City's 80.1%, has a chronic absenteeism rate of just 17.9% versus 30.0%, and outperforms Lake City in U.S. History proficiency (39.13% vs. 30.7%). This suggests that within the same community, significantly better outcomes are achievable, pointing to school-specific factors rather than community-wide challenges. While Lake City High's recent improvements in graduation rates, absenteeism, and Algebra 1 proficiency suggest interventions may be taking effect, the school still has considerable work ahead to close the gap with its district neighbor.

492

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,544

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

652 North Matthews Road
Lake City, SC 29560

(843) 374-3321

District: Florence 03

Feeder schools for Lake City High:

Elementary:	J. C. Lynch Elementary
	Lake City Early Childhood Center
	Main Street Elementary
	Olanta Elementary
	More...
	Scranton Elementary
Middle:	Ronald E. McNair Junior High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

79.9%

White:

12.8%

Hispanic:

5.5%

See top rated South Carolina high schools

Compare Lake City High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 20th percentile in 2016 → 16th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (49% vs 69% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school49%

District avg50%

South Carolina avg69%

208^th of 248

South Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 16%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 20% (2016) to bottom 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the Florence 03

62^nd of 75Florence 03 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	21.8	208 of 248	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.9	187 of 240	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.1	188 of 243	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.1	222 of 237	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.5	222 of 226	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.9	223 of 227	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.1	214 of 225	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.3	185 of 216	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	29.4	147 of 223	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	22.1	185 of 231	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	19.5	194 of 232	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	21.1	173 of 210	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	23.7	162 of 203	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	27.6	156 of 202	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	43.0	121 of 199	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	30.5	151 of 199	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	27.2	161 of 188	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	61.8	84 of 185	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	27.1	179 of 191	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	44.4	148 of 191	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	40.7	145 of 187	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.8	135 of 200	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.3	119 of 196	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.8	123 of 197	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.3	169 of 199	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.2	188 of 190	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.4	174 of 178	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.9	163 of 184	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.7	144 of 183	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.8	114 of 136	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.2	136 of 147	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.1	130 of 141	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.5	118 of 139	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	8.2	111 of 115	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.8	125 of 143	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.5	92 of 137	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	15.4	202 of 229	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.7	200 of 229	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.3	164 of 231	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.3	215 of 223	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.4	217 of 220	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.3	208 of 213	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.1	207 of 213	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.6	180 of 210	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.5	195 of 241	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.1	179 of 230	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.8	175 of 235	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.2	203 of 226	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.2	215 of 220	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.9	209 of 213	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.3	204 of 217	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.7	179 of 214	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.7	175 of 233	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.9	166 of 228	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	199 of 234	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.7	212 of 229	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.3	213 of 224	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.1	214 of 215	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.4	206 of 218	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.5	182 of 213	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	53.6	80 of 202	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	5.7	190 of 197	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.7	162 of 189	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.0	180 of 191	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	22.0	143 of 185	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

White (2024)60th percentile+38 vs school

African American (2026)32nd percentile+16 vs school

Male (2026)25th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)19th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2026)16th percentile~ school

Female (2026)12th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English 275%-9 vs state

Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 260%-4 vs state

Biology 1/Applied Biology 232%-29 vs state

U.S. History and the Constitution31%-32 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a student
Saturday, October 14, 2017

Lake City High School will never be an acceptable school. It has a major administration and guidance problem as well as an inability to have an organized environment. There is too much drug and gang activity and many teachers are rude towards parents and students. To anyone who is considering sending their child to this school, don't. Your child will never learn and if said child has been bullied before, it'll be worse at LCHS. Do what's right and avoid this school at ALL costs. Close Quote

Schools Near Lake City 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 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
Lake City High	Public	9-12	652 North Matthews Road	Lake City	29560	Florence County	Florence 03	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 374-3321	492	35	13.9	100.0%	63 (12.8%)	393 (79.9%)	27 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.4%)	21.8	208^th of 248 public high schools	16.1%		22.9	187^th of 240 public high schools	22.1%	21								60.5	32.0	30.7	74.8	$18,544	$1,294	$1,438	$2,732	$11,810	$4,001	$15,811
J. Paul Truluck Creative Arts and Science Magnet	Public, Magnet	7-12	319 Carlisle Street	Lake City	29560	Florence County	Florence 03	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 374-8685	385	28	13.6	100.0%	186 (48.3%)	161 (41.8%)	25 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.4%)	26.8	189^th of 248 public high schools	23.8%		32.3	160^th of 240 public high schools	33.3%	29		42.2	56.3		26.6	34.4			34.2	39.1	86.7	$15,425	$1,772	$1,211	$2,983	$9,067	$3,376	$12,443
Hannah Pamplico High School	Public	9-12	2055 South Pamplico Highway	Pamplico	29583	Florence County	Florence 02	No	No	No	No	(843) 493-5781	332	27	12.5	69.3%	186 (56.0%)	112 (33.7%)	19 (5.7%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.9%)	52.5	118^th of 248 public high schools	52.4%		53.2	99^th of 240 public high schools	58.8%	19								71.1	54.7	64.3	80.6	$16,665	$600	$589	$1,190	$12,068	$3,407	$15,475
East Clarendon Middle-High	Public	6-12	1171 Pope Street	Turbeville	29162	Clarendon County	Clarendon 06	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(843) 659-2185	722	38	19.0	100.0%	518 (71.7%)	159 (22.0%)	40 (5.5%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	69.7	65^th of 248 public high schools	73.8%		48.4	114^th of 240 public high schools	52.5%	49	66.7	56.1	53.1	64.0	45.9	39.8	65.3	78.0	71.6	50.6	92.8	$13,130	$1,836	$763	$2,599	$9,153	$1,378	$10,531
Kingstree High	Public	9-12	615 Martin Luther King Avenue	Kingstree	29556	Williamsburg County	Williamsburg 01	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(843) 355-6525	681	51	13.4	100.0%	39 (5.7%)	614 (90.2%)	11 (1.6%)	6 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.3%)	28.6	185^th of 248 public high schools	25.4%		50.5	109^th of 240 public high schools	54.6%	76								62.7	38.5	38.4	80.8	$18,605	$1,729	$2,206	$3,935	$12,143	$2,527	$14,670
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	70.6%	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	$12,574	$491	$890	$1,381	$9,459	$1,734	$11,193
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)
Turbeville High	Public	9-12	1578 Clarence Coker Highway	Turbeville	29162	Clarendon County	Dept Of Correction N04	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 896-3178	55	9	6.1	93.5%	12 (21.8%)	39 (70.9%)	4 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Johnsonville High	Public	9-12	237 Georgetown Highway	Johnsonville	29555	Florence County	Florence 05	No	No	No	No	(843) 386-2707	325	27	12.2	100.0%	202 (62.2%)	98 (30.2%)	13 (4.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.4%)	40.9	153^rd of 248 public high schools	38.3%		45.7	121^st of 240 public high schools	49.6%	32								75.0	48.7	50.0	77.3	$15,192	$930	$1,310	$2,240	$10,300	$2,652	$12,952

Frequently Asked Questions about Lake City High

What district is Lake City High in?

Florence 03

What is the racial makeup of Lake City High?

Students at Lake City High are 80% African American, 13% White, 5% Hispanic, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend Lake City High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 492 students attended Lake City High.

What schools feed into Lake City High?

Lake City High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : J. C. Lynch Elementary
Elementary : Lake City Early Childhood Center
Elementary : Main Street Elementary
Elementary : Olanta Elementary
Elementary : Scranton Elementary
Middle : Ronald E. McNair Junior High

Is Lake City High a good school?

Lake City High ranks in the bottom 16.1% of South Carolina high schools.

Rate Lake City High!

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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.