Best High Schools in Zip Code 29617

Zip code 29617 is home to just one public high school, Berea High, which serves grades 9-12 in Greenville, SC, with an enrollment of 1,250 students.

For parents considering this area, the most important takeaway is that Berea High operates within the highly-rated Greenville 01 district—ranked 11th out of 75 districts in South Carolina—yet the school itself significantly underperforms its district and state peers. The school ranks in the bottom third of South Carolina high schools, with its percentile ranking declining from 31st to 27th over the past two years. Academic proficiency on state exams is well below district averages across all subjects, with the most dramatic gap in Algebra 1, where only 28.6% of students are proficient compared to 59.7% district-wide and 64.6% statewide. This represents a stunning 38.5-point drop from the previous year. English 2 is the school's relative strength at 67.8% proficiency, though still 16.8 points below the district average.

Beyond test scores, the school faces serious operational challenges. The graduation rate stands at 77.6%, which is 13 points below the district average and 9.1 points below the state average. Chronic absenteeism affects 39.3% of students—nearly double the district and state rates—and the dropout rate of 3.9% is roughly double the district and state averages. Interestingly, the school spends a substantial $12,811 per student with a reasonable 15:1 student-teacher ratio, yet this investment has not translated into competitive outcomes. The combination of high spending, low performance, and severe attendance issues suggests the school serves a student population facing significant barriers that require targeted interventions, particularly in mathematics instruction and attendance support. Parents should be aware that while the district is strong, Berea High itself is struggling and may require additional advocacy and support for students to succeed.