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HCS Early College High

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

6^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 235 South Carolina High Schools

Better than 97% of South Carolina high schools

Summary

HCS Early College High is a top-performing public magnet high school in Conway, South Carolina, serving grades 9-12 and part of the Horry 01 school district, which is ranked 9th out of 75 districts in the state.

HCS Early College High consistently ranks among the top 10 high schools in South Carolina, with exceptional academic performance. The school boasts consistently high proficiency rates on end-of-course exams, with a 98.81% proficiency rate in Algebra in the 2024-2025 school year, compared to 90.02% for the Horry 01 district and 73.95% for the state. HCS Early College High also maintains high graduation rates, ranging from 83.8% to 97.4% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average, and very low dropout rates, ranging from 0.6% to 2.4%. The school's focus on early college and magnet program offerings may be a key factor in its success, as it consistently outperforms nearby traditional high schools like Myrtle Beach High, Socastee High, and Conway High on academic measures, graduation rates, and subgroup performance.

Another interesting finding is the close proximity of HCS Early College High to HCS Scholars Academy High, another top-performing school in the district, which may contribute to the strong academic results of both institutions. Additionally, while HCS Early College High has higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to the state average, its rates are still lower than the nearby traditional high schools, indicating a stronger focus on student engagement and attendance at the school. The higher spending per student at HCS Early College High compared to the nearby traditional high schools may also be a contributing factor to its exceptional academic performance and outcomes.

360

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,777

Per pupil spending ?

57.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2050 Highway 501 East HGTC
Conway, SC 29528

(843) 349-3131

District: Horry 01

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.9%

African American:

28.1%

Hispanic:

22.5%

See top rated South Carolina high schools

Compare HCS Early College High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 88th percentile in 2015 → 97th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Carolina average (97% vs 71% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 3% of South Carolina high schools

✓97% graduate in 4 years — above the South Carolina average (87%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school97%

District avg81%

South Carolina avg71%

6^th of 235

South Carolina public high schools ?

Top 3%▲ up 10 pts since 2015

From top 12% (2015) to top 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 12High Schools in the Horry 01

9^th of 75Horry 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
2025	93.2	6 of 235	97.4%	★★★★★
2024	92.7	7 of 235	97.0%	★★★★★
2023	91.2	10 of 237	95.8%	★★★★★
2022	90.9	8 of 226	96.5%	★★★★★
2021	77.5	25 of 227	89.0%	★★★★☆
2019	82.4	10 of 225	95.6%	★★★★★
2018	88.1	4 of 216	98.1%	★★★★★
2017	85.3	7 of 223	96.9%	★★★★★
2016	79.4	20 of 231	91.3%	★★★★★
2015	75.0	29 of 232	87.5%	★★★★☆
2014	98.5	3 of 210	98.6%	★★★★★
2013	98.9	3 of 203	98.5%	★★★★★
2012	99.3	1 of 202	99.5%	★★★★★
2011	99.3	3 of 199	98.5%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	97.6	3 of 194	98.5%	★★★★★
2024	99.4	1 of 194	99.5%	★★★★★
2023	96.4	5 of 199	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	98.3	3 of 190	98.4%	★★★★★
2021	91.7	4 of 178	97.8%	★★★★★
2019	90.5	6 of 184	96.7%	★★★★★
2018	97.9	3 of 183	98.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	93.2	6 of 225	97.3%	★★★★★
2024	90.1	10 of 225	95.6%	★★★★★
2023	87.9	14 of 223	93.7%	★★★★★
2022	88.7	10 of 220	95.5%	★★★★★
2021	71.8	39 of 213	81.7%	★★★★☆
2019	81.7	11 of 213	94.8%	★★★★★
2018	86.6	4 of 210	98.1%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	98.3	1 of 121	99.2%	★★★★★
2024	96.8	1 of 121	99.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	96.4	4 of 226	98.2%	★★★★★
2024	96.5	3 of 229	98.7%	★★★★★
2023	96.9	4 of 226	98.2%	★★★★★
2022	95.6	4 of 220	98.2%	★★★★★
2021	91.0	7 of 213	96.7%	★★★★★
2019	89.8	5 of 217	97.7%	★★★★★
2018	94.1	2 of 214	99.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	94.0	6 of 224	97.3%	★★★★★
2024	94.5	6 of 228	97.4%	★★★★★
2023	94.9	7 of 229	96.9%	★★★★★
2022	95.7	6 of 224	97.3%	★★★★★
2021	94.1	7 of 215	96.7%	★★★★★
2019	85.5	10 of 218	95.4%	★★★★★
2018	91.5	3 of 213	98.6%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	90.2	5 of 196	97.4%	★★★★★
2024	88.9	7 of 196	96.4%	★★★★★
2023	78.5	31 of 197	84.3%	★★★★☆
2022	90.2	7 of 192	96.4%	★★★★★
2021	69.4	45 of 189	76.2%	★★★★☆
2019	80.6	11 of 191	94.2%	★★★★★
2018	84.4	6 of 185	96.8%	★★★★★

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)

Hispanic (2025)99th percentile~ school

African American (2025)98th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)98th percentile~ school

White (2025)97th percentile~ school

Female (2025)97th percentile~ school

Male (2025)97th percentile~ school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English 2100%+14 vs state

Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 299%+25 vs state

English 197%+36 vs state

U.S. History and the Constitution91%+30 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, November 2, 2012

This school is amazing.. My daughter has wonderful grades and a 92 in Science, but she is determined to stay after school for tutoring to make sure she has a 4.0 average. The teachers and school brings out the best in the students. It is an amazing opportunity. Close Quote

Schools Near HCS Early College High

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				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	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
HCS Early College High	Public, Magnet	9-12	2050 Highway 501 East HGTC	Conway	29528	Horry County	Horry 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 349-3131	360	23	15.6		151 (41.9%)	101 (28.1%)	81 (22.5%)	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.8%)	93.2	6^th of 235 public high schools	97.4%		92.7	7^th of 235 public high schools	97.0%	1	98.8	97.3	91.0	100.0	$14,777	$1,137	$665	$1,802	$11,289	$1,686	$12,975
HCS Scholars Academy High	Public	9-12	642 Century Circle	Conway	29526	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 349-4117	209	13	16.7		158 (75.6%)	9 (4.3%)	8 (3.8%)	21 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (6.2%)	97.7	1^st of 235 public high schools	99.6%		97.7	2^nd of 235 public high schools	99.1%	1		100.0	100.0	100.0	$14,110	$154	$122	$276	$12,432	$1,402	$13,834
Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports (PALM)	Public, Charter	9-12	826 West Cox Ferry Road	Conway	29526	Horry County	Horry 01	Yes	No	No	Yes	(843) 903-6600	195	13	15.0		167 (85.6%)	5 (2.6%)	14 (7.2%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.6%)	62.2	71^st of 235 public high schools	69.8%		48	108^th of 235 public high schools	54.0%	37	91.7	45.7	70.2	93.0	$17,355	$1,001	$161	$1,162	$10,296	$5,897	$16,193
Carolina Forest High	Public	9-12	700 Gardner Lacy Road	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 236-7997	3,176	165	19.3		1,788 (56.3%)	437 (13.8%)	639 (20.1%)	72 (2.3%)	13 (0.4%)	3 (0.1%)	224 (7.1%)	72.9	43^rd of 235 public high schools	81.7%		75.4	36^th of 235 public high schools	84.7%	7	86.2	69.3	78.0	89.9	$12,194	$659	$390	$1,049	$9,682	$1,464	$11,146
Conway High	Public	9-12	2301 Church Street	Conway	29526	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 488-0662	1,724	97	17.7		847 (49.1%)	489 (28.4%)	270 (15.7%)	8 (0.5%)	4 (0.2%)	4 (0.2%)	102 (5.9%)	58.4	82^nd of 235 public high schools	65.1%		52.2	92^nd of 235 public high schools	60.9%	10	85.9	58.2	60.7	89.7	$13,969	$746	$440	$1,185	$10,926	$1,857	$12,784
Socastee High	Public	9-12	4900 Socastee Boulevard	Myrtle Beach	29588	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 293-2513	1,720	95	18.1		1,051 (61.1%)	135 (7.8%)	373 (21.7%)	34 (2.0%)	4 (0.2%)	7 (0.4%)	116 (6.7%)	69	51^st of 235 public high schools	78.3%		63.8	65^th of 235 public high schools	72.3%	14	75.7	75.0	74.6	89.4	$14,081	$686	$426	$1,111	$11,278	$1,691	$12,969
Atlantic Collegiate Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	5086 Bear Bluff Road	Conway	29526	Horry County	Limestone Charters Association	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(843) 286-5990	502	16	31.3		370 (73.7%)	42 (8.4%)	49 (9.8%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (7.2%)	83.2	21^st of 235 public high schools	91.1%					(n/a)	85.3	82.8	61.7	98.9	$9,591	$204	$559	$763	$3,695	$5,133	$8,828
Academy For Arts/Science/Technology	Public, Magnet	9-12	895 International Drive	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Horry 01	No	Yes	No	No	(843) 903-8460	0	43	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Coastal High School	Public, Charter	9-12	3710 Palmetto Pointe Boulevard	Myrtle Beach	29588	Horry County	Limestone Charters Association	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(843) 788-9898	198	21	9.6		139 (70.2%)	24 (12.1%)	19 (9.6%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (7.6%)	53.4	97^th of 235 public high schools	58.7%		47.8	111^th of 235 public high schools	52.8%	14	82.4	61.5	58.0	86.5	$14,745	$831	$69	$899	$7,316	$6,530	$13,846
Myrtle Beach High	Public	9-12	3302 Robert Grissom Parkway	Myrtle Beach	29577	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 839-7148	1,510	84	18.0		539 (35.7%)	331 (21.9%)	481 (31.9%)	32 (2.1%)	4 (0.3%)	5 (0.3%)	118 (7.8%)	40.9	138^th of 235 public high schools	41.3%		54.6	88^th of 235 public high schools	62.6%	50	84.8	52.4	55.7	80.3	$13,613	$778	$398	$1,176	$10,701	$1,736	$12,437

Frequently Asked Questions about HCS Early College High

Is HCS Early College High a good school?

Yes! HCS Early College High is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 6^th of 235 South Carolina high schools.

What is the racial makeup of HCS Early College High?

Students at HCS Early College High are 42% White, 28% African American, 23% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is HCS Early College High in?

Horry 01

How many students attend HCS Early College High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 360 students attended HCS Early College 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.