Summary:
Zip code 29055 is home to a single high school, Great Falls High, which serves grades 6 through 12 and enrolls 375 students in the rural community of Great Falls, SC, operating within the Chester 01 school district.
For parents, the most striking feature of Great Falls High is its exceptional student completion record: a 96.2% graduation rate and a 0.0% dropout rate, both far better than district and state averages. The school also offers a favorable 10.7:1 student-teacher ratio and spends a substantial $19,665 per student. However, academic proficiency on state tests is a mixed bag. While 7th grade math and ELA scores are strong (51.9% and 61.1% proficient, respectively), and U.S. History proficiency jumped to 59.0%, other areas lag significantly. Most concerning is English 1, where only 32.8% of students are proficient—nearly 30 points below the state average—and 6th grade math sits at just 22.0% proficiency. Performance also shows dramatic year-over-year swings, such as a 39-point jump in 7th grade math, making single-year results unreliable for judging the school.
Overall, Great Falls High presents a paradox: it excels at keeping students on track to graduate, but struggles with standardized test proficiency in several subjects, particularly early high school English and middle school math. The school’s state ranking has slipped from 149th to 178th over three years, yet its strong graduation rate and small class sizes are clear positives. Chronic absenteeism (23.3%) is slightly better than the district but above the state average. For families, this school offers a supportive environment focused on completion, but they should be aware of the academic challenges in specific subjects and the volatility in test scores from year to year.
Thank you for your feedback!