Schools in Zip Code 29926

Zip code 29926 in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, is served by five schools within the Beaufort 01 school district, including three elementary schools (one being an early childhood center), one middle school, and one high school, enrolling approximately 3,542 students.

For families, the standout is Hilton Head Island High, which leads the area with an 88.3% graduation rate, a low 1.4% dropout rate, and exceptional U.S. History proficiency at 74.46%—nearly 12 points above the state average. Its Algebra 1 scores also outpace the district. At the elementary level, Hilton Head Island Elementary is the clear academic leader, outperforming Hilton Head Island School for the Creative Arts by 10 to 20 percentage points in nearly every subject and grade. For example, 4th-grade math proficiency is 50.0% at Hilton Head Elementary versus just 34.1% at the Creative Arts school, which has also seen its state ranking plummet from the 43rd to the 24th percentile in two years. The middle school, Hilton Head Island Middle, shows a concerning math deficiency across all grades (e.g., 35.7% in 7th grade vs. 41.8% statewide) and a significant ranking drop, though 100% of its Algebra 1 students passed the end-of-course exam.

Resource allocation presents a paradox: the Hilton Head Island Early Childhood Center spends a staggering $36,942 per student—2.4 times the high school's cost—yet has the highest chronic absenteeism rate (24.1%). Meanwhile, the Creative Arts school spends $19,945 per student but produces the weakest outcomes. Chronic absenteeism correlates strongly with performance: Hilton Head Elementary (11.5%) excels, while the Creative Arts school (18.4%) struggles. The high school's strong U.S. History results and the elementary school's steady ranking improvement (from 53rd to 59th percentile) suggest effective strategies exist, but the middle school's math gap and the Creative Arts decline demand immediate attention.