Palmetto Bays Elementary

Palmetto Bays Elementary, a moderately sized K-5 school in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, operated by Horry 01, teaches 556 students, covering grades pre-K through 5.

Palmetto Bays Elementary is one of 55 schools operated by Horry 01, a district that educates 48,662 students overall.

Demographically, Palmetto Bays Elementary records that 43% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. The remainder is composed of 34% Hispanic, 12% Black, 10% multiracial. By comparison, Horry County as a whole is about 77% White, so the school skews meaningfully less White than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 41 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 13.6:1 students per teacher. That tracks the state average closely.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Horry County shows median household earnings sit near $66,880, roughly 27% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Horry County's 60 public schools (combined enrollment of about 49,639 students), Palmetto Bays Elementary is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Forestbrook Elementary, roughly 2.0 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Palmetto Bays Elementary.

Palmetto Bays Elementary operates from an outlying location.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 12%: 633 students in 2018 compared to 556 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share decreased from 48% to 43%. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 14.7:1 in 2018 to 13.6:1 today.

On the community side, members of the Palmetto Bays Elementary community share and discuss science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.