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Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports (PALM)

Q: Is Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports (PALM) a good school?

Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports (PALM) ranks 160 th of 248 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades 9-12

160^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 248 South Carolina High Schools

Better than 35% of South Carolina high schools

Summary

Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports (PALM) is a small, specialized public high school in Conway, SC, serving 195 students in grades 9-12 within the highly-rated Horry 01 school district.

PALM offers a unique career-themed education centered on motorsports, which comes with a higher price tag—about $17,355 per student, notably more than nearby traditional schools like Carolina Forest High ($12,194) or Socastee High ($14,081). The school’s most impressive achievement is its 2024-2025 graduation rate of 91.9%, paired with a remarkable 0.0% dropout rate—far better than the district (1.9%) or state (2.1%) averages. Once students commit to this specialized program, they tend to stay and graduate. However, academic performance has been volatile. After ranking in the 70th percentile in 2024-2025, the school dropped to the 35th percentile in 2025-2026. This instability is partly due to the small student body, where a single cohort can dramatically shift results. For example, Algebra 1 proficiency soared to 91.66% in 2024-2025, while English 1 proficiency lagged at just 45.65%—well below the state average of 61.66%. This suggests a strong emphasis on technical and math skills, but a potential gap in foundational literacy.

Compared to other specialized schools in the district, PALM is a different kind of option. HCS Early College High and HCS Scholars Academy High are elite academic institutions ranking in the 97th-100th percentile, while PALM sits in the 35th. This doesn’t mean PALM is a poor choice—it offers a unique career pathway that clearly keeps students engaged enough to graduate. However, parents should be aware that chronic absenteeism is a concern at 23.6%, higher than the district average of 19.4%. The school’s small size allows for a favorable 15:1 student-teacher ratio, but it also means performance can swing widely from year to year. For a student passionate about motorsports, PALM offers a hands-on, career-focused environment that larger schools can’t match, but it’s wise to consider the academic volatility and literacy challenges when making a decision.

195

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,355

Per pupil spending ?

40.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

826 West Cox Ferry Road
Conway, SC 29526

(843) 903-6600

District: Horry 01

Racial breakdown:

White:

85.6%

Hispanic:

7.2%

Two or more races:

3.6%

See top rated South Carolina high schools

Compare Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports (PALM) to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 5th percentile in 2016 → 35th in 2026

Strengths

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

✓Ranking is trending up — up 30 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (61% vs 69% meeting standards)

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

!Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 scores 17 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school61%

District avg77%

South Carolina avg69%

160^th of 248

South Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 35%▲ up 31 pts since 2016

From bottom 5% (2016) to bottom 35% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th 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
2026	35.7	160 of 248	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	62.2	72 of 240	70.0%	★★★★☆
2024	48.0	111 of 243	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	27.9	164 of 237	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.0	173 of 226	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.3	212 of 227	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.4	195 of 225	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.3	165 of 216	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	7.1	210 of 223	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.6	220 of 231	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	7.5	226 of 232	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.8	206 of 241	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	67.8	44 of 230	80.9%	★★★★☆
2024	63.4	64 of 235	72.8%	★★★★☆
2023	22.1	182 of 226	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.7	178 of 220	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.0	174 of 213	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.0	172 of 217	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.3	111 of 214	48.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.5	152 of 233	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	62.8	68 of 228	70.2%	★★★★☆
2024	53.9	93 of 234	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.0	146 of 229	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.1	156 of 224	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	8.5	202 of 215	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.3	189 of 218	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.7	178 of 213	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	15.5	180 of 203	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	46.8	106 of 200	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.6	151 of 202	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.1	179 of 197	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.1	185 of 192	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	0.6	189 of 189	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.4	187 of 191	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.6	184 of 185	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)35th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)15th percentile-21 vs school

White (2026)11th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English 280%-4 vs state

U.S. History and the Constitution56%-6 vs state

Biology 1/Applied Biology 244%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports (PALM)

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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)				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	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
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	40.5%	167 (85.6%)	5 (2.6%)	14 (7.2%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.6%)	35.7	160^th of 248 public high schools	35.5%		62.2	72^nd of 240 public high schools	70.0%	88		44.2	56.4	80.0	$17,355	$1,001	$161	$1,162	$10,296	$5,897	$16,193
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	57.6%	151 (41.9%)	101 (28.1%)	81 (22.5%)	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.8%)	96.8	5^th of 248 public high schools	98.0%		93.2	6^th of 240 public high schools	97.5%	1		96.1	90.7	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	1.6%	158 (75.6%)	9 (4.3%)	8 (3.8%)	21 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (6.2%)	98.1	1^st of 248 public high schools	99.6%		97.7	1^st of 240 public high schools	99.6%			100.0	100.0	100.0	$14,110	$154	$122	$276	$12,432	$1,402	$13,834
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	44.7%	1,788 (56.3%)	437 (13.8%)	639 (20.1%)	72 (2.3%)	13 (0.4%)	3 (0.1%)	224 (7.1%)	78.2	46^th of 248 public high schools	81.5%		72.9	44^th of 240 public high schools	81.7%	2	80.9	70.3	73.4	90.4	$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	65.1%	847 (49.1%)	489 (28.4%)	270 (15.7%)	8 (0.5%)	4 (0.2%)	4 (0.2%)	102 (5.9%)	56.4	111^th of 248 public high schools	55.2%		58.4	83^rd of 240 public high schools	65.4%	28		56.9	68.5	83.4	$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	45.3%	1,051 (61.1%)	135 (7.8%)	373 (21.7%)	34 (2.0%)	4 (0.2%)	7 (0.4%)	116 (6.7%)	73.6	56^th of 248 public high schools	77.4%		69	52^nd of 240 public high schools	78.3%	4	55.2	72.0	75.5	86.8	$14,081	$686	$426	$1,111	$11,278	$1,691	$12,969
Coastal High School	Public, Charter	9-12	2100 River Oaks Drive	Myrtle Beach	29579	Horry County	Limestone Charters Association	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(843) 788-9898	198	21	9.6	52.1%	139 (70.2%)	24 (12.1%)	19 (9.6%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (7.6%)	64.5	83^rd of 248 public high schools	66.5%		53.4	98^th of 240 public high schools	59.2%	15		63.9	61.4	88.2	$14,745	$831	$69	$899	$7,316	$6,530	$13,846
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	7.5%	370 (73.7%)	42 (8.4%)	49 (9.8%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (7.2%)	83.4	36^th of 248 public high schools	85.5%		83.2	21^st of 240 public high schools	91.3%	15		74.6	69.7	98.7	$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)
Academy for Technology and Academics	Public	9-12	5639 Highway 701 North	Conway	29526	Horry County	Horry 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 488-6600	0	40	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports (PALM)

What district is Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports (PALM) in?

Horry 01

How many students attend Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports (PALM)?

In the 2024-25 school year, 195 students attended Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports (PALM).

Is Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports (PALM) a good school?

Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports (PALM) ranks 160^th of 248 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports (PALM)?

Students at Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports (PALM) are 86% White, 7% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% African American.

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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.