Summary:
Zip code 29579 is home to one high school, Carolina Forest High, a large public school in Myrtle Beach, SC, serving grades 9-12 with an enrollment of 3,176 students.
Carolina Forest High is a consistently strong performer, maintaining a 4-star rating for three consecutive years and ranking in the top 20% of South Carolina high schools (81st-85th percentile). The school is part of the Horry 01 district, which itself ranks in the top 12% of districts statewide. Academically, the school excels in English 2, with a 90.35% proficiency rate that outpaces both the district (87.17%) and state (83.79%). It also performs well in U.S. History, consistently beating the state average by 10-16 percentage points. However, there are areas of concern. Algebra 1 proficiency dropped from 86.16% to 80.86% year-over-year, and the school now trails its district in this subject. English 1 proficiency remains a relative weak point at around 70%, creating a roughly 20-point gap compared to English 2 performance.
Beyond test scores, the school faces challenges with student engagement. The dropout rate of 3.2% is significantly higher than both the district (1.9%) and state (2.1%) averages, and chronic absenteeism sits at 23.0%, above the district's 19.4%. The graduation rate of 87.3% is slightly below the district's 89.6% but close to the state average. With a student-teacher ratio of 19.3:1 and per-student spending of $12,194, the school operates with typical resources for its size. While its state ranking has slipped slightly from 36th to 46th, this is partly due to more schools being ranked. Overall, Carolina Forest High provides a solid, above-average education with clear strengths in English and history, but families should be aware of the attendance and retention issues that may warrant additional support.
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