Best High Schools in Zip Code 29107

Zip code 29107 (Neeses, South Carolina) is home to just one high school, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler High, a small rural school serving grades 6-12 with only 220 students in the Orangeburg district.

For parents considering this area, the most important takeaway is that Hunter-Kinard-Tyler High offers a tight-knit, small-school environment with a favorable 12.8:1 student-teacher ratio and a remarkably low dropout rate of just 0.8%—better than both the district (2.6%) and state (2.1%) averages. However, academic performance is a serious concern. The school ranks in the bottom 3% of South Carolina high schools, and math proficiency is particularly alarming: only 9.1% of 6th graders and 11.5% of 7th graders are proficient in math, compared to state averages above 40%. English scores are stronger, with 8th grade ELA at 53.2% (close to the state's 58.9%) and an impressive 71.4% proficiency on the English 2 End-of-Course exam. The school also spends a substantial $19,181 per student, yet achievement remains low, suggesting the challenges are more about how resources are used than a lack of funding.

One of the most striking patterns is the extreme year-to-year volatility, driven by the very small class sizes (roughly 30-40 students per grade). For example, 8th grade math jumped from 0% proficiency in 2024-2025 to 28.1% in 2025-2026, while U.S. History EOCEP scores collapsed from 38.2% to 7.1%. This means a single cohort can dramatically swing results, making it hard to judge the school on any one year. Another red flag is chronic absenteeism: nearly 30% of students miss 10% or more of school days, compared to 22.3% statewide—likely a major contributor to the low math scores. On a positive note, there is a clear pattern of improvement as students advance through the grades, suggesting that those who stay engaged do build skills over time. For parents, the priorities should be addressing attendance and math instruction, while the school's relative strength in English and its low dropout rate provide a foundation to build on.