Summary:
Zip code 29488 in Walterboro, SC, is served by a single public high school, Colleton County High, which enrolls 1,352 students in grades 9-12 and is part of the Colleton 01 school district.
Colleton County High faces significant academic and engagement challenges, ranking in the bottom 11% of South Carolina high schools (219th out of 245) for the 2025-2026 school year. The school's graduation rate is 76.8%, nearly 10 percentage points below the state average of 86.7%, and its dropout rate of 4.2% is exactly double the state's 2.1%. Perhaps most concerning is the chronic absenteeism rate of 36.6%, which is 14.3 percentage points higher than the state average of 22.3%—a leading indicator that likely drives the low test scores and high dropout numbers. On state assessments, proficiency rates lag significantly behind state averages, with the largest gap in U.S. History (34.92% vs. 62.57% statewide) and Algebra 1 (51.39% vs. 73.95% statewide).
Despite these challenges, there are some positive signs. The school's English 2 proficiency rate of 73.38% is its strongest subject, only 10 points below the state average, suggesting relatively more effective literacy instruction in later grades. Additionally, English 1 scores jumped dramatically from 28.06% to 44.22% year-over-year—a 16-point improvement that may indicate successful interventions. Notably, the school spends $14,624 per student, which is relatively high given its performance, suggesting that financial resources alone are not the barrier. Since Colleton County High is the only high school in the Colleton 01 district, the district's success is entirely dependent on this one school. For parents, the most urgent priority should be addressing the 36.6% chronic absenteeism rate, as it is likely the root cause driving the low test scores, high dropout rate, and low graduation rate.
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