Summary:
Zip code 29730 in Rock Hill, South Carolina, is home to three high schools serving grades 9-12: two traditional public schools within the York 03 district and one public charter school under the Limestone Charters Association.
For parents, the standout choice academically is Legion Collegiate Academy, a charter school ranked 31st in the state (87th percentile) with a 4-star rating. It dramatically outperforms the other two schools in every subject, posting a 97.93% English 2 proficiency rate and an 83.87% Algebra 1 proficiency rate—roughly 27 percentage points higher than both Rock Hill High and South Pointe High. However, Legion Collegiate has the highest student-to-teacher ratio (20.5:1) and does not report graduation, dropout, or spending data, so it's unclear if its success translates to long-term outcomes. Among the traditional schools, South Pointe High showed the most improvement, jumping from the 45th to 58th percentile in one year, with English 1 proficiency rising from 53.78% to 66.14%. Rock Hill High remains a consistent performer but saw a sharp 19-point drop in Algebra 1 proficiency, falling to 56.1%.
Both traditional schools face significant challenges with student retention. Their dropout rates (5.3% at Rock Hill High and 4.3% at South Pointe High) are more than double the state average of 2.1%, and their graduation rates (80.8% and 84.5%) fall below the state's 86.7%. Interestingly, both schools have chronic absenteeism rates below the state average, suggesting students attend but may struggle with engagement. South Pointe High spends $17,068 per student with a favorable 13.4:1 student-teacher ratio, yet its outcomes are comparable to Rock Hill High, which spends $14,729 per student. This suggests that factors beyond funding—such as school culture or curriculum—drive success. Notably, English 2 proficiency is strong across all three schools (81-98%), while English 1 proficiency lags, indicating students make significant progress between their first and second years of high school.
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