Summary:
Zip code 29835 in McCormick, South Carolina, is home to two high schools serving grades 9-12 and 10-12, respectively, with a combined enrollment of roughly 273 students in a small, rural community setting.
Families in this area have two very distinct educational options. School Governor's School for Agriculture at John de la Howe is the clear standout, achieving a perfect 100% graduation rate, a 0% dropout rate, and chronic absenteeism at 10.0%—less than half the state average. Its U.S. History proficiency (82.85%) is more than 20 points above the state average, supported by an exceptional 7.9:1 student-teacher ratio. In contrast, McCormick High is a traditional public school in the McCormick 01 district that has shown remarkable improvement. Its state ranking jumped from 215th to 121st in two years, and its star rating rose from 0 to 3 stars. While McCormick High still trails the specialty school in graduation rate (88.9% vs. 100%) and dropout rate (3.7% vs. 0%), it outperforms the state average in Algebra 1 (72.97% vs. 64.58%) and U.S. History (66.67% vs. 62.57%).
The most striking finding is McCormick High's dramatic turnaround in U.S. History proficiency, soaring from 24% to 66.67% in a single year—a 42.67-point jump. However, it still lags in English 2 (72.35% vs. 83.79% state average) and has a slightly elevated chronic absenteeism rate (23.3% vs. 22.3%). McCormick High spends a substantial $30,999 per student, reflecting the challenges of serving a small rural population. Together, these schools offer families a fascinating dichotomy: one is a specialized, selective residential school achieving elite outcomes through focus and small classes, while the other is a comprehensive school demonstrating that significant improvement is possible even from a low starting point. Both are worth monitoring as they continue to evolve.
Thank you for your feedback!