Summary:
Zip code 29436 is home to a single high school, Cross High, which serves grades 7 through 12 and enrolls 273 students in the rural community of Cross, SC, operating within the Berkeley 01 school district.
For parents considering Cross High, the most striking feature is its exceptional performance on high school end-of-course exams. English 2 proficiency reached 86.96% in 2025-2026, surpassing both the district (84.78%) and state (83.79%) averages, while Algebra 1 proficiency hit 84% in 2024-2025—a full 18 points above the district. The school also boasts a favorable 9.4:1 student-to-teacher ratio and spends $23,136 per student, indicating a resource-rich environment. However, this academic strength at the high school level contrasts sharply with middle-grade results. Eighth-grade math proficiency was just 6.6% in 2024-2025, and 6th-8th grade ELA scores lag state averages by 15-25 points. The school also faces challenges with chronic absenteeism (33.9% vs. 22.3% statewide) and a dropout rate of 3.2% (vs. 2.1% statewide), while its graduation rate of 84.9% sits slightly below the state's 86.7%.
Despite these mixed metrics, Cross High is on an upward trajectory, improving its state ranking from 144th to 128th out of roughly 240 schools in the latest year. The dramatic gap between 8th-grade math scores and Algebra 1 success suggests the school may be effectively remediating students once they reach high school, though small cohort sizes could also explain the volatility. With its strong English 2 results, improving ranking, and ample resources, the school's greatest opportunity lies in addressing middle-grade math proficiency and attendance issues—areas where targeted interventions could yield significant gains given the already favorable student-teacher ratio and per-student spending.
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