Summary:
Zip code 29479 is home to a single public high school, Timberland High, which serves grades 9-12 and enrolls 718 students in the Saint Stephen area of South Carolina, operating under the Berkeley 01 school district.
For parents considering this area, Timberland High presents a mixed picture. The school's overall state ranking has been declining, moving from the 23rd percentile in 2023-2024 down to the 18th percentile for 2025-2026, placing it in the bottom quarter of South Carolina high schools. Academic performance in most subjects lags well behind state averages, with the most significant gap in Algebra 1, where only 44.6% of students are proficient compared to 74.0% statewide. U.S. History proficiency (37.4%) and English 1 proficiency (36.2%) also trail the state by roughly 25 percentage points. A major concern is chronic absenteeism, which affects 32.2% of students—44% higher than the state average of 22.3%—and likely contributes to the lower test scores. Despite spending $16,643 per student, which is substantial, the school's outcomes do not reflect that level of investment, raising questions about resource allocation.
However, there are notable bright spots. The school's English 2 proficiency rate is an impressive 81.1%, nearly matching the state average of 83.8%, and this strong performance contrasts sharply with the much lower English 1 scores, suggesting significant student growth between these courses. The graduation rate of 85.9% is close to the state's 86.7%, and the dropout rate of 1.3% is well below the state average of 2.1%. The student-teacher ratio of 16.3:1 is reasonable. While Timberland High faces clear challenges in math and absenteeism, its strong English 2 results and solid graduation metrics indicate that students can succeed, making it a school with both areas of concern and genuine potential for improvement.
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