Summary:
Zip code 29379 is home to a single public high school, Union County High, which serves grades 9 through 12 and enrolls approximately 1,024 students in the Union 01 school district.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that Union County High is facing significant challenges, and its performance has been declining over the past three years. The school’s state ranking has dropped from the 33rd percentile (2 stars) in 2023-2024 to the 14th percentile (1 star) in 2025-2026, placing it near the bottom of South Carolina high schools. Academically, the school trails state averages in every subject tested. For example, in 2025-2026, only 44.8% of students were proficient in English 1 compared to 60.9% statewide, and U.S. History proficiency was 47.8% versus 62.6% statewide. The graduation rate is 83.6%, which is 3.1 points below the state average, and the dropout rate of 4.7% is more than double the state’s 2.1% average. Perhaps most concerning is the chronic absenteeism rate of 32.9%—meaning more than one in three students misses significant school time—which is far above both the district (22.8%) and state (22.3%) averages.
There are a few bright spots worth noting. In 2024-2025, Algebra 1 proficiency was 60.2%, the school’s strongest relative performance in math, though still below the state’s 74.0%. Also, English 1 proficiency improved slightly from 40.6% to 44.8% year-over-year. However, other scores are volatile; English 2 proficiency dropped sharply from 79.3% to 68.6%. With a student-teacher ratio of 21.3:1 and per-student spending of $12,963, the school is investing resources but struggling to overcome systemic issues. The challenges appear district-wide, as Union 01 itself holds a 1-star rating. Parents should be aware that addressing chronic absenteeism and improving student engagement will be critical to reversing the school’s downward trajectory.
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