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1 / 25#25. Palmetto Scholars Academy
- School type: Public School
- Location: South Carolina Public Charter School District, SC
- Enrollment: 507 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
Best high schools in the Charleston, South Carolina metro area
According to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 15.5 million students attend public high school every year, and more than 3.76 million are expected to graduate in 2025. However, those students have a wide variety of experiences over the course of their high school careers.
To start, issues surrounding equal educational access persist throughout the United States. A January 2025 report published in Frontiers found that disparities across socioeconomic status, race, gender, and geography can lead to negative outcomes and the perpetuation of systemic barriers.
Outside of these issues, students also pursue many different paths within high school. Roughly 8.3 million high schoolers attend educational programs to prepare for careers in fields like transportation, landscaping, and culinary arts. Meanwhile, nearly 2.5 million are in dual enrollment programs that offer high school and college credit for the same course, allowing students to get a jump on higher education degrees.
Dual enrollment programs are particularly useful considering that more than 3 in 5 (61%) high school graduates head to college, per a 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Unfortunately, high school doesn't always guarantee college success. In 2024, the average SAT score declined for the third straight year, and nearly 2 in 5 (39%) test-takers met or exceeded the test's college readiness benchmarks. ACT scores are also on the decline year over year, down to 19.4 out of 36, and just 3 in 10 students met at least three of the ACT's college readiness benchmarks.
With that said, attending a quality high school will typically help prepare students for their next steps in life, whether that's college, technical school, or going straight into the workforce. Stacker compiled a list of the best high schools in the Charleston metro area using data from Niche, which uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. Most of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students.
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2 / 25#24. Cane Bay High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Berkeley County School District, SC
- Enrollment: 2,158 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
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3 / 25#23. Ridge Christian Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Summerville, SC
- Enrollment: 140 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
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4 / 25#22. Summerville High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Dorchester School District No. 2, SC
- Enrollment: 3,308 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
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5 / 25#21. Stratford High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Berkeley County School District, SC
- Enrollment: 2,653 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
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6 / 25#20. Palmetto Christian Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Mount Pleasant, SC
- Enrollment: 811 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
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7 / 25#19. Faith Christian School & Daycare
- School type: Private School
- Location: Summerville, SC
- Enrollment: 321 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
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8 / 25#18. Hanahan High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Berkeley County School District, SC
- Enrollment: 1,040 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
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9 / 25#17. First Baptist School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Charleston, SC
- Enrollment: 449 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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10 / 25#16. James Island Charter High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Charleston County School District, SC
- Enrollment: 1,589 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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11 / 25#15. Philip Simmons High
- School type: Public School
- Location: Berkeley County School District, SC
- Enrollment: 771 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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12 / 25#14. Fort Dorchester High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Dorchester School District No. 2, SC
- Enrollment: 2,312 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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13 / 25#13. Lucy Garrett Beckham High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Charleston County School District, SC
- Enrollment: 1,673 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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14 / 25#12. Ashley Ridge High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Dorchester School District No. 2, SC
- Enrollment: 2,542 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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15 / 25#11. Bishop England High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Charleston, SC
- Enrollment: 668 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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16 / 25#10. Ashley Hall School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Charleston, SC
- Enrollment: 685 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
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17 / 25#9. Charleston Collegiate School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Johns Island, SC
- Enrollment: 283 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
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18 / 25#8. Oceanside Collegiate Academy
- School type: Public School
- Location: Charter Institute at Erskine, SC
- Enrollment: 651 (28:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
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19 / 25#7. Pinewood Preparatory School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Summerville, SC
- Enrollment: 834 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
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20 / 25#6. Charleston School of the Arts
- School type: Public School
- Location: Charleston County School District, SC
- Enrollment: 1,061 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
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21 / 25#5. Wando High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Charleston County School District, SC
- Enrollment: 2,596 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
panitanphoto // Shutterstock
22 / 25#4. Berkeley County Middle College High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Berkeley County School District, SC
- Enrollment: 101 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
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23 / 25#3. University School of the Lowcountry
- School type: Private School
- Location: Mount Pleasant, SC
- Enrollment: 85 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
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24 / 25#2. Porter-Gaud School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Charleston, SC
- Enrollment: 1,072 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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25 / 25#1. Academic Magnet High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Charleston County School District, SC
- Enrollment: 719 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
This story features data reporting by Rob Powell, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 97 metros.
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