Whale Branch Elementary

Whale Branch Elementary is a low-enrollment elementary school in Seabrook, South Carolina, overseen by Beaufort 01. The school hosts 409 students in grades pre-K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 22% below the state mean of about 526.

Beaufort 01 comprises 32 schools with combined enrollment of 21,050 students; Whale Branch Elementary is among them.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Whale Branch Elementary reports that the largest single group is Black, at 71% of enrollment. Other groups include 18% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, 4% White. The wider county runs roughly 16% Black, putting the school's mix meaningfully more Black than the area baseline.

On the resource side, On paper, Whale Branch Elementary has 47 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 8.7:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.3:1, putting Whale Branch Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Beaufort County put median household income runs about $86,573, roughly 46% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Whale Branch Elementary is one of 35 public schools in Beaufort County (combined enrollment of about 22,968 students).

The closest other public school is Whale Branch Middle, roughly 0.2 miles away. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools.

The school occupies a low-density site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 22%: 522 students in 2018 compared to 409 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment climbed from 7% to 18% over that span. Class-load math has tightened: from 12.1:1 in 2018 to 8.7:1 in 2025.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.