Best High Schools in Zip Code 29405

Zip code 29405 in North Charleston, SC is home to 6 high schools serving approximately 3,385 students in grades 6-12, all part of the Charleston 01 school district, which ranks 21st out of 75 districts in the state.

This area offers an extraordinary range of educational options, from some of the best schools in South Carolina to some of the most challenged. Academic Magnet High is the standout performer, ranked #2 in the state with a 100% graduation rate and near-perfect test scores. Charleston School of the Arts is also elite, ranked #8 statewide with a 99.3% graduation rate and remarkably low chronic absenteeism at just 5.9%. At the other end of the spectrum, North Charleston High (ranked 238th) and Greg Mathis Charter High (ranked 245th, dead last) struggle with graduation rates below 80% and chronic absenteeism above 63%. Military Magnet Academy and Allegro Charter School of Music sit in the middle, ranked 95th and 87th respectively, though Military Magnet has shown the most dramatic improvement, jumping 75 positions in two years.

For parents, the key takeaway is that school choice matters enormously here. The selective magnet schools (Academic Magnet and Charleston School of the Arts) dramatically outperform open-enrollment schools, with a 200+ position gap in state rankings. Money doesn't tell the whole story either—Military Magnet spends the most per student at $41,580 yet ranks far below Academic Magnet, which spends just $22,213. Chronic absenteeism is the strongest predictor of success: schools with rates below 20% all have graduation rates above 99%, while those above 60% fall below 80%. Additionally, schools serving grades 6-12 show weaker middle school performance, suggesting a potential "feeder problem" that parents should investigate when considering these schools for younger students.