School districts and ratings are important aspects of a home for families with children. A family may choose an area or specific home, because they want their children to have the ability to attend the best schools in an area. Within Horry County, there are many exceptional schools for all age groups. Below are the top 3 schools within each category for Horry County. These rankings were created by Niche, which is an unbiased third party entity that provides school rankings for districts all over the United States. These rankings are based on data from the US Department of Education and reviews from parents and students. The categories used to evaluate the schools are academic grades, teacher grades, district overall grade, diversity grade, parent and student surveys.

Public Elementary Schools

The number one ranked elementary school in Horry County is Seaside Elementary, which is located in Garden City, SC and has an overall grade of “A.” The school was ranked #1 for public elementary school teachers in South Carolina and has a 14:1 student to teacher ratio. The second best elementary school in Horry County is Ocean Bay Elementary in Carolina Forest with an overall grade of “A.” This school has a 78% math proficiency rate and was ranked #4 for best public elementary school teachers in South Carolina. The third highest ranked elementary school in Horry County is Burgess Elementary in Myrtle Beach with an overall grade of “A.” This elementary school has a diversity rating of “A” and a 70% math proficiency rate.

Public Middle Schools

The highest rated middle school in Horry County is Socastee Middle School with an overall rating of “A.” It has a 15:1 student to teacher ratio and is ranked #11 in the best public middle schools in South Carolina. The second best middle school is Ocean Bay Middle School in Carolina Forest with an overall rating of “A.” This school has a 67% reading proficiency rate and is ranked #6 in best public middle school teachers in South Carolina. Ten Oaks Middle School in Carolina Forest is the third highest rated middle school in Horry County with an overall rating of “A.” It is ranked #4 for best public middle school teachers in South Carolina and #19 for best public middle schools in South Carolina.

Public High Schools

The highest rated high school in Horry County is St. James High School in Murrells Inlet with an overall rating of “A.” The school has an 86% reading proficiency rate, an average SAT of 1170, and a graduation rate of 84%. For clubs and activities, the school received a rating of “A” with an average level of girl’s athletic participation and a high level of boy’s athletic participation. The second highest rated high school is Carolina Forest High School with an overall grade of “A.” It has an 87% graduation rate, 85% math proficiency rate, and an average SAT score of 1190. Clubs and activities received a grade of “A” with 93% of students and parents saying that there are plenty of clubs and organizations for student involvement . Socastee High School received the third highest rating with an overall grade of “A-.” This school has an 81% reading proficiency rating, an average SAT score of 1180, and an 85% graduation rate. Socastee High School received a grade of “A” for teachers, administration, and diversity.

Private Schools

Lowcountry Preparatory School in Pawleys Island is the highest ranked private school in Horry County with an overall grade of “A.” It is ranked #9 in the best private K-12 schools in South Carolina and has a student teacher ratio of 8:1. The second highest rated private school is Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach with an overall grade of “A-.” This school has a 12:1 student to teacher ratio and 100% of students say that they feel safe while at school. Conway Christian School is the third highest rated private school in Horry County with an overall grade of “A-.” This school has a 12:1 student to teacher ratio and 95% of students continue on to a four year college or university.