Summary:
Zip code 29154 is home to just one high school, Sumter High School, a large public school serving grades 9-12 with an enrollment of 2,122 students in the Sumter 01 district.
For parents considering this area, Sumter High School presents a mixed picture. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of South Carolina high schools, holding a 1-star rating for three consecutive years. Academic proficiency on state End-of-Course exams is generally below state averages, with Algebra 1 showing a concerning 12.6 percentage point drop in proficiency from 52.1% to 39.5% between the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years. Chronic absenteeism is a significant challenge, with 36.3% of students missing substantial school time—63% higher than the state average of 22.3%. This issue appears systemic to the district, as the Sumter 01 rate is nearly identical at 35.9%.
However, there are notable strengths. The school's graduation rate of 83.6% exceeds its district average and comes within 3.1 points of the state rate, while its dropout rate of 1.3% is actually better than the state's 2.1%. This suggests the school is effective at keeping students on track to graduate. Academically, Sumter High School shows relative strength in English 2, with 73.5% proficiency in 2025-2026, and U.S. History, where proficiency actually exceeded the district average. The school spends $13,332 per student with a 17:1 student-teacher ratio. While the school faces real challenges, particularly in math and attendance, its stability in rankings and pockets of academic success suggest a school working to support its students despite systemic obstacles.
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