Name: South Carolina schools on the rise · enrollment growth 2017–2024
Creator: allk12
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywords: public schools, K-12, enrollment growth, NCES, South Carolina

South Carolina schools on the rise

South Carolina public schools with the largest enrollment growth from 2017-18 to 2024-25.

Schools in this report

top growth in state

Top growth

+267%

Philip Simmons High

Range

+37% to +267%

2017-18 → 2024-25

TOP 50 SC PUBLIC SCHOOLS BY ENROLLMENT GROWTH · 2017-18 → 2024-25

School	City	District	2017-18	2024-25	% change ↓
Philip Simmons High	CHARLESTON	Berkeley 01	217	797	267%
Tall Pines STEM Academy	AIKEN	SC Public Charter School District	144	382	165%
Bridges Preparatory School	BEAUFORT	SC Public Charter School District	664	1,472	122%
Reidville Elementary	REIDVILLE	Spartanburg 05	344	712	107%
Youth Leadership Academy	PICKENS	SC Public Charter School District	144	290	101%
C. E. Williams Middle School for Creative and Scientific Art	CHARLESTON	Charleston 01	664	1,299	95.6%
Herbert A. Wood Elementary	WEST COLUMBIA	Lexington 02	493	938	90.3%
Angel Oak Elementary	JOHNS ISLAND	Charleston 01	439	828	88.6%
Ruldolph G. Gordon School at Jones Mill	SIMPSONVILLE	Greenville 01	863	1,621	87.8%
Indian Land High	LANCASTER	Lancaster 01	1,055	1,905	80.6%
SCDJJ Evaluation and Detention Center	COLUMBIA	Dept of Juvenile Justice	237	417	75.9%
Philip Simmons Middle	WANDO	Berkeley 01	270	473	75.2%
B. D. Lee Elementary	GAFFNEY	Cherokee 01	348	603	73.3%
Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports (PALM)	CONWAY	Horry 01	115	195	69.6%
Carolina Voyager Charter	CHARLESTON	Charleston 01	243	402	65.4%
Matilda F. Dunston Elementary	NORTH CHARLESTON	Charleston 01	345	569	64.9%
Cannons Elementary	SPARTANBURG	Spartanburg 03	245	389	58.8%
Ocean Bay Middle	MYRTLE BEACH	Horry 01	505	801	58.6%
Boiling Springs High	BOILING SPRINGS	Spartanburg 02	1,752	2,772	58.2%
Sand Hill Elementary	SUMMERVILLE	Dorchester 02	745	1,169	56.9%
Ellen Woodside Elementary	PELZER	Greenville 01	686	1,071	56.1%
Philip Simmons Elementary	WANDO	Berkeley 01	345	535	55.1%
Gaffney Middle	GAFFNEY	Cherokee 01	555	851	53.3%
Dorman High	ROEBUCK	Spartanburg 06	2,558	3,920	53.2%
Riverwalk Academy	ROCK HILL	SC Public Charter School District	493	755	53.1%
New Ellenton STEAM Magnet Middle	NEW ELLENTON	Aiken 01	182	274	50.5%
Crowders Creek Elementary	CLOVER	York 02	745	1,104	48.2%
R. E. Davis College Preparatory Academy	SUMTER	Sumter 01	265	391	47.5%
Southside High	GREENVILLE	Greenville 01	736	1,075	46.1%
Fountain Inn Elementary	FOUNTAIN INN	Greenville 01	728	1,055	44.9%
Delmae Heights Elementary	FLORENCE	Florence 01	687	988	43.8%
Cane Bay Middle	SUMMERVILLE	Berkeley 01	1,018	1,464	43.8%
Pendleton Elementary	PENDLETON	Anderson 04	385	547	42.1%
Allendale-Fairfax Middle	FAIRFAX	Allendale 01	138	196	42.0%
R. B. Stall High	NORTH CHARLESTON	Charleston 01	1,504	2,135	42.0%
Lambs Elementary	NORTH CHARLESTON	Charleston 01	409	580	41.8%
May River High	BLUFFTON	Beaufort 01	1,223	1,731	41.5%
Moultrie Middle	MOUNT PLEASANT	Charleston 01	800	1,130	41.3%
East Point Academy	1043 CHRIS DRIVE	SC Public Charter School District	514	724	40.9%
Stratford High	GOOSE CREEK	Berkeley 01	1,855	2,605	40.4%
Carolina Park Elementary	MT. PLEASANT	Charleston 01	663	931	40.4%
Ten Oaks Middle	MYRTLE BEACH	Horry 01	901	1,264	40.3%
Langford Elementary	BLYTHEWOOD	Richland 02	451	631	39.9%
Rainbow Lake Middle	CHESNEE	Spartanburg 02	696	973	39.8%
Ocean Bay Elementary	MYRTLE BEACH	Horry 01	845	1,181	39.8%
Central Academy of the Arts	CENTRAL	Pickens 01	358	499	39.4%
Robert E. Cashion Elementary	GREENVILLE	Greenville 01	699	964	37.9%
Clio Elementary	CLIO	Marlboro 01	137	188	37.2%
Woodmont Middle	PIEDMONT	Greenville 01	659	904	37.2%
Wellford Academy of Science and Technology	WELLFORD	Spartanburg 05	478	654	36.8%

50 of 50 rows · Brick-and-mortar only. Virtual, online, and cyber schools excluded. Schools must have had ≥100 students in 2017-18 and be open in both school years.↓ Download schools-on-the-rise-by-state-sc.csv

How this list was built

Every South Carolina public school that reported total enrollment in both the NCES SY 2017-18 and SY 2024-25 vintages was scored on percent change in enrollment. Schools needed at least 100 students in 2017-18 to qualify, which filters out small specialty programs whose percentage swings are dominated by noise. Brick-and-mortar only: virtual academies, cyber charters, and online schools are excluded by name pattern and by NCES is_virtual flag. Those schools dominate raw growth numbers but rarely represent a school families are choosing for their neighborhood.

Enrollment growth is a leading indicator, not a quality measure. Schools grow because catchment areas shift, because districts consolidate, because a magnet program opens, or because reputation pulls in transfers. A school on this list is one that more South Carolinafamilies are sending their kids to in 2024-25 than in 2017-18, for whatever reason. Pair this with the school's page on allk12 for test scores, demographics, and discussion.

Source data

NCES Common Core of Data, EDGE_ADMINDATA_PUBLICSCH MapServer, vintages 2017-18 and 2024-25. Refreshed yearly when NCES publishes a new admin-data release. School names, slugs, and current district affiliation come from the 2024-25 snapshot.

HOW TO CITE THIS REPORT

Anyone is welcome to cite or republish these findings. Please credit allk12.com and link back to this page so readers can verify the underlying data.

allk12 (2026). "South Carolina schools on the rise: enrollment growth 2017–2024." Retrieved from https://allk12.com/reports/on-the-rise/south-carolina

For interview requests or custom data pulls: [email protected]

DATA NOTICE

allk12 is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NCES, the US Census Bureau, any state education agency or assessment program, or any other government agency. Source data is compiled from public records and provided "as is," without warranty of accuracy or completeness. You rely on it, and any analysis derived from it, at your own risk. See the full disclaimer.