Best High Schools in Zip Code 29162

Zip code 29162, serving the Turbeville area of South Carolina, contains just two high schools with vastly different profiles: East Clarendon Middle-High, a comprehensive public school serving grades 6-12 with 722 students, and Turbeville High, a very small school of 55 students in grades 9-12 operating under the Dept Of Correction N04 district.

For parents, East Clarendon Middle-High is the clear academic leader and the only school with current performance data. It has shown remarkable improvement, jumping from the 45th to the 73rd percentile in state rankings over two years and earning a 4-star rating. The school boasts a 94.8% graduation rate, well above the state average of 86.7%, and outperforms state averages significantly in mathematics—including a 13.4-point advantage in Algebra 1 and a 23.1-point advantage in 6th grade math. However, its strengths are uneven: while 6th graders exceed state proficiency by 10-23 points across all subjects, that advantage erodes by 8th grade, where the school falls below state averages in both ELA and math. U.S. History proficiency also lags 12 points behind the state. Chronic absenteeism affects 1 in 5 students, though the school still achieves strong results. In contrast, Turbeville High is a specialized correctional facility school with no recent ranking data and a very low 6.1:1 student-teacher ratio, serving a fundamentally different educational purpose.

Within the Clarendon 06 district, East Clarendon Middle-High stands out as a rising star in rural South Carolina education, demonstrating efficient resource use at $13,130 per student while achieving above-state-average results in most subjects. The school's rapid upward trajectory and strong graduation rate make it an attractive option for families, though parents should be aware of the challenges in upper-grade academic momentum and U.S. History instruction. The presence of Turbeville High highlights the diversity of educational settings within this small community, but for traditional academic preparation, East Clarendon is the primary choice.