Best Public Schools in Zip Code 29696

Summary:

The 29696 zip code is home to a single standout elementary school, Walhalla Elementary, which serves grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 600 students. Walhalla Elementary is part of the Oconee 01 school district, which is ranked 21 out of 75 districts in South Carolina and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Walhalla Elementary consistently outperforms the Oconee 01 district and the state of South Carolina in proficiency rates for SC READY English Language Arts and Mathematics assessments across grades 3-5. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Walhalla Elementary's 3rd-grade proficiency rates were 76.2% in ELA and 65.3% in Math, compared to the district's 65.8% and 58.9%, and the state's 61.8% and 56.3%, respectively. However, the school has a relatively high chronic absenteeism rate of 22.5%, which may impact student learning and achievement if not addressed.

Walhalla Elementary serves a significant population of economically disadvantaged students, with 65.33% of its students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. Despite this challenge, the school maintains a strong academic performance, ranking in the top 25% of South Carolina elementary schools and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's per-student spending for the 2023-2024 school year was $12,615, and it has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.3, which may contribute to its academic success.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SC READY English Language Arts (2025)			SC READY Mathematics (2025)			SC READY Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SC READY English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 4th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Science 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Walhalla Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	508 Fowler Road	West Union	29696	Oconee County	Oconee 01	No	No	No	No	(864) 886-4480	612	45	13.6		471 (77.0%)	8 (1.3%)	111 (18.1%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.1%)	76.3	147^th of 640 public elementary schools	77.0%		68.7	192^nd of 638 public elementary schools	69.9%	45	76.2	68.0	71.3	65.3	60.0	62.4	64.0	$14,023	$650	$382	$1,032	$11,169	$1,822	$12,991

Cities Near Zip Code 29696

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Walhalla	0.9 mi	3	92^nd
West Union	0.98 mi	1	30^th
Westminster	5.08 mi	7	77^th
Seneca	5.08 mi	6	75^th
Tamassee	8.06 mi	1	95^th

See the top SC South Carolina cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Carolina Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.