Horry 01 School District

Horry 01 is one of South Carolina's larger public school districts, serving 48,205 students across 57 schools. Fifty-five of those schools carry a published rating, averaging 6.2 out of 10 — a baseline that tells parents to look closely at individual campuses before drawing conclusions about the district as a whole.

At the top of that range sits HCS Scholars Academy High, rated 8.4 out of 10 and the district's strongest-performing school by a clear margin. Aynor High follows at 8.0, and two additional high schools — HCS Early College High and Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports (PALM) — each earn a 7.9. The concentration of high-rated schools at the secondary level is notable: parents of high schoolers have several strong options to consider, each with a distinct academic identity. PALM, in particular, pairs a rigorous curriculum with motorsports industry programming, giving students a specialized path that few districts offer. HCS Early College High gives motivated students the opportunity to earn college credit before graduation. On the elementary side, Kingston Elementary stands out with a 7.8 rating, making it the top-ranked primary campus in the district.

The district-wide average of 6.2 out of 10 across 55 ranked schools reflects meaningful variation in quality from campus to campus. With a enrollment of 48,205, Horry 01 operates at a scale where school choice and attendance boundaries matter — the gap between the district's top-rated and mid-rated schools is wide enough that address and enrollment options deserve careful attention. Parents should confirm which schools their address feeds into and whether magnet or open-enrollment pathways exist for schools like HCS Scholars Academy High.

For families relocating to the Horry County area, the high school tier is where the district's best academic outcomes are concentrated. The four high schools rated 7.9 or above give older students real choices, while parents of younger children will want to research elementary campuses individually to identify options near that 7.8 benchmark set by Kingston Elementary. Checking current attendance zones and any available school choice programs is the most practical next step.