Summary:
The 29579 zip code, located in the Myrtle Beach, SC area, is served by two public middle schools—Ten Oaks Middle and Ocean Bay Middle—both part of the highly rated Horry 01 school district and both serving grades 6 through 8.
Families in this area have two strong options, but Ocean Bay Middle stands out as the academic leader. It is ranked in the top 10% of all middle schools in South Carolina (30th out of 335) with a 5-star rating, while Ten Oaks Middle is also excellent, ranking in the top 13% (43rd out of 335) with a 4-star rating. The schools have distinct strengths: Ten Oaks has a slight edge in English Language Arts in 6th and 7th grades (71.0% and 76.9% proficient), while Ocean Bay dominates in math, especially in 7th and 8th grades (67.8% and 71.2% proficient, respectively)—over 11 percentage points higher than Ten Oaks in those grades. Both schools achieve a perfect 100% proficiency rate on the Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam, far exceeding the state average of 74%.
Operationally, Ocean Bay Middle has a lower chronic absenteeism rate (14.8% vs. 17.1% at Ten Oaks) and spends slightly more per student ($12,815 vs. $12,138), though both are below the state average for absenteeism (22.3%). Ten Oaks Middle is the larger school with 1,264 students and a slightly better student-teacher ratio (15.8 vs. 16.5). Both schools show consistent year-over-year improvement in test scores, indicating strong instructional practices. In short, families choosing between a larger school with an ELA edge (Ten Oaks) and a smaller, top-10% ranked school with a math advantage and better attendance (Ocean Bay) can feel confident in either choice.
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