Best High Schools in Zip Code 29681

Zip code 29681 in Simpsonville, SC is home to two public high schools serving grades 9 through 12: Hillcrest High and GREEN Upstate High School Greenville, offering families a choice between a large traditional school and a smaller charter option.

Hillcrest High, part of the Greenville 01 district, is the larger and more consistently high-performing school with about 1,894 students. It has maintained a 4-star rating and a state rank in the low 50s for three straight years, with a strong 94.5% graduation rate and a low 1.4% dropout rate. Hillcrest outperforms the state average in all core subjects, including Algebra 1 (79.15% proficient), English 1 (67.12%), and U.S. History (74.56%). In contrast, GREEN Upstate High School Greenville, a charter school in the School Public Charter School District, is much smaller at 390 students and offers a better student-teacher ratio of 11.4 to 1. However, its performance has been volatile—after ranking 52nd in 2024-2025, it dropped to 100th in 2025-2026. While its graduation rate of 91.8% is solid, it trails Hillcrest in most subjects, though it does post the highest English 2 proficiency rate in the area at 90.53%.

For parents, the key takeaway is that Hillcrest offers more consistent, well-rounded academic results and better graduation outcomes, despite larger class sizes and higher per-student spending ($11,920 vs. $10,600). GREEN Upstate’s smaller classes and lower cost do not translate into better overall performance, and its ranking swings suggest less predictability. Both schools struggle with chronic absenteeism—Hillcrest at 30.6% and GREEN Upstate at 23.6%, both above the state average of 22.3%—which is a concern for families to monitor. Ultimately, Hillcrest is the safer bet for strong, stable academics, while GREEN Upstate may appeal to those seeking a smaller environment with a notable strength in advanced English.