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Best Schools in Charleston, SC
Charleston, SC has 221 public schools (36 high, 33 middle, 131 elementary) serving 134,665 students. On average they score 51% on state proficiency tests against a projected 42%, so schools in Charleston don't meet expectations. Rankings below compare each school’s actual results with the projection for its socioeconomic context.
Best High Schools in Charleston, SC
The top high schools in Charleston, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Charleston School Of The Arts
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Public • Grades 6 - 12 • 1061 Students
2. Lucy Garrett Beckham High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 1673 Students
3. Wando High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 2596 Students
4. Ashley Ridge High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Dorchester 02 • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 2542 Students
5. James Island Charter High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Charter • Grades 9 - 12 • 1589 Students
6. Fort Dorchester High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Dorchester 02 • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 2312 Students
7. Branchville High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Orangeburg • Public • Grades 6 - 12 • 316 Students
8. Palmetto Scholars Academy
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Sc Public Charter School District • Charter • Grades 6 - 12 • 507 Students
9. West Ashley High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 1935 Students
10. Woodland High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Dorchester 04 • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 612 Students
Best Middle Schools in Charleston, SC
The top middle schools in Charleston, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Buist Academy
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Public • Grades 3 - 8 • 548 Students
2. Rollings Middle School Of The Arts
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Dorchester 02 • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 799 Students
3. Thomas C. Cario Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 1125 Students
4. Moultrie Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 1119 Students
5. Laing Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 1012 Students
6. Marrington Middle School Of The Arts
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Berkeley 01 • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 400 Students
7. Camp Road Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 864 Students
8. East Edisto Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Dorchester 02 • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 879 Students
9. Oakbrook Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Dorchester 02 • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 1006 Students
10. Philip Simmons Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Berkeley 01 • Public • Grades 5 - 8 • 428 Students
Best Elementary Schools in Charleston, SC
The top elementary schools in Charleston, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Belle Hall Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 666 Students
2. Sullivan's Island Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 475 Students
3. Charles Pinckney Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Public • Grades 3 - 5 • 635 Students
4. Mt. Pleasant Academy
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 658 Students
5. Stiles Point Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 817 Students
6. Daniel Island School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Berkeley 01 • Public • Grades KG - 8 • 1170 Students
7. Carolina Park Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 978 Students
8. Mamie P. Whitesides Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 834 Students
9. Orange Grove Charter School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Charter • Grades Pre K - 8 • 1167 Students
10. Montessori Community School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Charleston 01 • Public • Grades Pre K - 8 • 273 Students
Education & Community Snapshot in Charleston, SC
City-level factors that shape the learning environment around local schools.
Community Factors
Charleston, SC has a total population of 799,636 with 24% of that population attending schools. The adult high school graduation rate is 92%, and 40% of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Students in Charleston, SC
K-12 Students
High School Graduates
Adults 25+ with HS diplomas
College Graduates
Adults 25+ with a Bachelor’s degree or higher
Demographics statistics provided by Best Neighborhood Charleston, SC.
Safety
Crime Grades summarize reported incidents per 1,000 residents. Use them as neighborhood context, not a school rating.
Overall Crime Grade
27.46 per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crime Grade
4.59 per 1,000 Residents
Property Crime Grade
22.87 per 1,000 Residents
Crime statistics provided by CrimeGrade in Charleston, SC.
Connectivity
Connectivity influences learning at home. We summarize internet infrastructure, typical download speed, and a digital connectivity index for Charleston, SC.
ISP Report Card
Internet Infrastructure Grade
Average Download Speed
Speed Most Residents Can Get
Digital Connectivity Index
ISP Connectivity Demand Report
To read more about these statistics, please visit Charleston, SC Internet Health Assessment.
Questions About Schools in Charleston, SC
How many schools are in Charleston, SC?
Charleston, SC has 221 public schools: 36 high schools, 33 middle schools and 131 elementary schools, serving 134,665 students in total.
How do schools in Charleston perform on state tests?
On average, 221 schools in Charleston score 51% proficient on state assessments. Given the socioeconomic context of their students we project 42%, so on average schools in Charleston don't meet expectations.
How does SchoolGrade rank the best schools in Charleston?
Every public school gets a SchoolGrade from A+ to F based on the share of students at or above the state proficiency bar. The Impact Grade compares that result with what we would expect given the school’s student and community context, so schools that outperform their circumstances stand out. Schools cannot pay to change a grade. Read the full methodology.
Best Schools in Cities Near Charleston, SC
Explore nearby cities to widen your school search.
- Actual: 58%
- Projected: 52%
- Impact Grade: Doesn't Meet Expectations
- Actual: 49%
- Projected: 45%
- Impact Grade: Underperforms Expectations
- Actual: 41%
- Projected: 31%
- Impact Grade: Doesn't Meet Expectations
- Actual: 77%
- Projected: 73%
- Impact Grade: Underperforms Expectations
- Actual: 56%
- Projected: 44%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 58%
- Projected: 54%
- Impact Grade: Underperforms Expectations
- Actual: 75%
- Projected: 66%
- Impact Grade: Underperforms Expectations
- Actual: 49%
- Projected: 45%
- Impact Grade: Underperforms Expectations
- Actual: 77%
- Projected: 71%
- Impact Grade: Underperforms Expectations
- Actual: 55%
- Projected: 42%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
Every school in Charleston
30 of 32 schools in Charleston carry a SchoolGrade (2 have no school-level proficiency results in our source data). Grade distribution:
A: 12B: 8C: 4D: 4F: 2
All 32 public schools we grade in Charleston. The ranked lists above show the top ten per level; every school has its own page.
All schools, A to Z (32)
- Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary
- Buist Academy
- Burke High
- C E Williams Middle School For Creative And Scientific Art
- Camp Road Middle
- Carolina Voyager Charter
- Charleston Advancement Academy High School
- Charleston Charter School For Math And Science
- Charleston Development Academy
- Charleston Progressive
- Compass Collegiate Academy
- Daniel Island School
- Drayton Hall Elementary
- Harbor View Elementary
- James Island Charter High
- James Island Elementary
- James Simons Montessori
- Memminger Elementary
- Mitchell Elementary
- Montessori Community School
- Murray Lasaine Montessori
- Oakland Elementary
- Orange Grove Charter School
- Pattisons Academy For Comprehensive Education
- Philip Simmons High
- Sanders Clyde Elementary
- Simmons Pinckney Middle
- Springfield Elementary
- St Andrews School Of Math And Science
- Stiles Point Elementary
- Stono Park Elementary
- West Ashley High
Private schools (19)
Private schools have a SchoolGrade only where their state publishes their test results.
- Addlestone Hebrew Academy
- Adventist Christian Academy Of Charleston
- Ashley Hall School
- Blessed Sacrament School
- Charles Towne Montessori School
- Charleston Day School
- First Baptist School Of Charleston
- Harvest Time International Academy
- James Island Christian School
- Mason Preparatory School
- Nativity School
- Ne Miles Early Childhood Development Center
- Oak Grove Montessori
- Porter-gaud School
- Riverpointe Christian Academy
- Sundrops Montessori - Daniel Island
- The Charleston Catholic School
- The Cooper School
- Trinity Montessori School