Summary:
Zip code 29520 is home to a single public high school, Cheraw High, which serves grades 9 through 12 and enrolls 603 students in the Chesterfield 01 school district.
For parents considering this area, Cheraw High presents a mixed picture. The school’s greatest academic strength is in mathematics, with a recent Algebra 1 proficiency rate of 78.12% that significantly outperforms both the district (59.39%) and state (73.95%) averages. English 2 performance is also respectable at 74.82% proficiency, nearly matching the district average. However, English 1 proficiency is a major concern at just 37.83%, far below the state average of 60.91% and representing a sharp drop from the prior year. This creates a striking 37-point gap between the two English courses, suggesting inconsistency in curriculum or instruction. The school’s overall state ranking is currently in the bottom 20% (18th percentile, 1-star), and it has been volatile over recent years, dropping from the 44th percentile to its current position.
On a more positive note, the school maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.5:1 and spends a substantial $14,971 per student. The graduation rate of 84.7% is close to the state average, and the dropout rate of just 0.7% is excellent—far better than both district and state averages. This suggests the school is effective at keeping students engaged and on track to graduate, even if test scores lag. However, chronic absenteeism affects 22.4% of students, which likely contributes to lower academic performance. The combination of high per-student spending and low test scores raises questions about resource allocation, but the low dropout rate and strong math results indicate areas of genuine success that families may find encouraging.
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