Summary:
Zip code 29506 in Florence, SC, is served by a single public high school, Wilson High, which enrolls 1,373 students in grades 9-12 and is part of the Florence 01 school district.
For parents considering Wilson High, the school presents a mixed picture of notable strengths and specific challenges. The most encouraging news is the school's strong graduation rate of 93.2%, which exceeds both the district (92.0%) and state (86.7%) averages, alongside an exceptionally low dropout rate of just 0.8%. Academically, the school shines in Algebra 1 (77.1% proficient) and English 2 (81.5% proficient), both well above state averages. However, there is a significant weakness in English 1, where only 47.8% of students are proficient—a full 13 points below the state average and nearly 10 points below the district. This creates a striking 34-point gap between English 1 and English 2 performance, suggesting a specific issue with 9th-grade English preparation. The school has also shown steady improvement in its state ranking, moving from the 49th percentile (2 stars) in 2023-2024 to the 53rd percentile (3 stars) in 2025-2026.
The most pressing concern for families is chronic absenteeism, which sits at a troubling 36.5%—significantly higher than the district's 26.4% and the state's 22.3%. This means more than one in three students is chronically absent, yet the school still manages to achieve high graduation and low dropout rates, suggesting strong support systems for students once they attend. Another interesting data point is the dramatic improvement in Algebra 1 proficiency, which jumped from 59.2% in 2024-2025 to 77.1% in 2025-2026, an 18-point swing that may indicate a successful instructional change. With a student-teacher ratio of 14.9:1 and per-student spending of $13,475, Wilson High offers a solid foundation but clearly needs targeted intervention in English 1 and attendance initiatives to fully serve its students.
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