Best High Schools in Zip Code 29501

Zip code 29501 in Florence, South Carolina, is served by a single public high school, West Florence High, which enrolls 1,827 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Florence 01 district.

For parents considering this area, West Florence High stands out for its exceptional mathematics performance. The school's Algebra 1 proficiency rate of 78.15% exceeds the state average by nearly 14 percentage points, making it the school's strongest subject. English 2 proficiency (83.58%) also closely tracks the state average, while U.S. History (66.95%) and English 1 (63.67%) both outperform state benchmarks. The school also boasts a remarkably low dropout rate of just 0.5%, compared to 2.1% statewide, and a graduation rate of 90.3% that exceeds the state's 86.7%. Notably, U.S. History scores improved dramatically from 58.91% to 66.95% in a single year, suggesting recent instructional changes are yielding positive results. The school's state ranking also improved from 99th to 88th in the latest assessment cycle.

However, there are areas of concern. Chronic absenteeism affects 28.5% of students, notably higher than the state average of 22.3%, which is puzzling given the strong academic outcomes. There is also a significant 19.91-point gap between English 1 and English 2 proficiency, suggesting that students who persist to the second course are much better prepared. With a student-teacher ratio of 17.3:1 and per-student spending of $11,418, the school achieves above-average results on a modest budget. While the graduation rate trails the district's 92.0%, the school's low dropout rate and strong test scores indicate that most students who remain enrolled succeed academically. Overall, West Florence High offers solid academic preparation, particularly in math, though families should be aware of the attendance challenges that may affect some students.