Summary:
Zip code 29625 in Anderson, SC is home to two public high schools serving grades 9-12: Westside High and Pendleton High, which together enroll about 2,600 students across two different school districts.
For parents comparing these schools, Pendleton High is the clear academic leader. It graduates 92.6% of its students compared to Westside's 79.5%, and its dropout rate of 0.7% is seven times lower than Westside's 5.0%. Pendleton also outperforms Westside on every state test: English 1 proficiency is 63.5% versus 40.4%, English 2 is 87.0% versus 71.3%, Algebra 1 is 79.6% versus 60.3%, and U.S. History is 62.0% versus 56.9%. Pendleton's district, Anderson 04, ranks 4th in the state, while Westside's Anderson 05 ranks 22nd. Pendleton also benefits from more resources—spending $14,224 per student versus $12,139 at Westside—and a slightly better student-teacher ratio of 15.9:1 compared to 17.3:1.
However, both schools share a significant challenge: chronic absenteeism. Pendleton's rate is 29.4% and Westside's is 28.8%, both well above the state average of 22.3%, even though Pendleton's academics are strong. Westside, the larger school with 1,687 students, shows mixed trends—its English 2 proficiency improved from 71.25% to 78.46% in recent years, but other subjects have declined. Pendleton has remained consistently in the top third of South Carolina high schools over three years. For families, Pendleton offers superior academic outcomes and graduation rates, while Westside's larger enrollment may provide more extracurricular options, though both schools need to address attendance issues to sustain long-term success.
Thank you for your feedback!