Summary:
Zip code 29160 is served by a single public high school, Swansea High, which enrolls 695 students in grades 9-12 within the Lexington 04 district.
For parents, the most encouraging news is the school’s recent upward trajectory. Swansea High jumped from a 15th percentile statewide ranking in 2023-2024 to the 36th percentile in 2025-2026, a gain of more than 20 percentile points. This improvement is largely driven by standout math performance: in the latest testing cycle, 76.2% of students scored proficient in Algebra 1, which is nearly 12 points above the state average and an 11-point improvement over the prior year. The school also maintains a very low dropout rate of just 0.9%, less than half the state average, and its graduation rate of 86.8% is right in line with both the district and state. With a student-teacher ratio of 13.3:1 and per-student spending of $14,797, the school appears reasonably well-resourced for personalized attention.
However, there are significant challenges. Chronic absenteeism is a major concern, with 37.5% of students missing substantial school time—15 points higher than the state average. Academic performance is uneven: while Algebra 1 and English 2 proficiency are strong (78.3% in English 2), English 1 proficiency sits at just 46.5% and U.S. History at 39.3%, both far below state averages. The history gap is particularly stark at 23 points below the state. Notably, the school’s English 1 and U.S. History scores are identical to the district’s, indicating these are district-wide struggles rather than isolated issues. While the ranking improvement is promising, it appears driven mainly by math gains, as English 2 proficiency actually dipped slightly year-over-year. Overall, Swansea High offers solid math instruction and strong student retention, but families should be aware of the absenteeism problem and the need for additional support in English and history.
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