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Schools & Education

Horry County Schools’ 2026 report cards: 21 Excellent, every high school Good or better

Data card showing 21 Excellent ratings for Horry County Schools on South Carolina's 2026 report cards.
Graphic: Vik Media Group

Horry County Schools earned 21 Excellent ratings on South Carolina’s 2026 school report cards, 26 Good, 11 Average and 1 Below Average, according to the SC Department of Education’s 2026 data file for the 2025-26 school year. That puts about 36% of Horry’s 59 rated report cards at Excellent. Statewide, 320 of 1,295 rated report cards, about 25%, were Excellent.

Every high school report card in Horry County rated Good or Excellent. All 12 Average or Below Average ratings went to elementary and middle school report cards.

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South Carolina rates each level a school serves separately, so a school with grades 6-12 can have a middle school rating and a high school rating. That is why the count is of report cards, not buildings.

Horry County Schools 2026 report card ratings
Horry County Schools 2026 report card ratings
Excellent 21 report cards
Good 26 report cards
Average 11 report cards
Below Average 1 report cards
Unsatisfactory 0 report cards
One rating per school level; a school with two levels has two ratings. Source: SC Department of Education, 2026 Report Card Data (2026-11-02)

Which Horry County schools were rated Excellent?

School Area Level Points (of 100)
HCS Scholars Academy High School Conway High 100
HCS Early College High School Conway High 90
Green Sea Floyds Middle/High School Green Sea High 76
Aynor High School Aynor High 75
St. James High School Murrells Inlet High 75
North Myrtle Beach High School Little River High 72
Socastee High School Myrtle Beach High 68
Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports (PALM), charter Conway High 67
Green Sea Floyds Elementary School Green Sea Elementary 68
Socastee Elementary Myrtle Beach Elementary 68
Ocean Bay Elementary Myrtle Beach Elementary 66
Ocean Drive Elementary School North Myrtle Beach Elementary 66
St. James Elementary Myrtle Beach Elementary 65
Lakewood Elementary School Myrtle Beach Elementary 63
River Oaks Elementary School Myrtle Beach Elementary 63

Source: SC Department of Education, 2026 report card data. The town is the school’s mailing address in the state file.

Six more report cards were rated Excellent: Midland Elementary in Galivants Ferry (62 points), St. James Intermediate (62), Ocean Bay Middle (64), Socastee Middle (63), Ten Oaks Middle (56) and the middle school level of Bridgewater Academy Charter (56).

HCS Scholars Academy and HCS Early College High School are district program schools that take students by application, per Horry County Schools.

Which Horry County areas did best?

Two school clusters rated Excellent at every level: Socastee, where the elementary, middle and high schools are all Excellent, and Ocean Bay, where both the elementary and middle schools are Excellent. In the St. James area, the elementary, intermediate and high schools are Excellent and the middle school is Good.

Many schools in Carolina Forest, Forestbrook, Socastee and Ocean Bay have a Myrtle Beach mailing address in the state file, so search by school name rather than town.

Which schools were rated Average or Below Average?

Eight elementary report cards were Average: Homewood, Loris, Myrtle Beach, Palmetto Bays, Pee Dee, Riverside, Waccamaw and Waterway elementary schools. Three middle schools were Average: Aynor Middle, Conway Middle and Loris Middle. The elementary level of Academy of Hope Charter in Conway was Below Average; its middle school level was Good.

Why can a school with fewer points have a better rating?

Each level has its own cut-offs. In the 2026 statewide data, elementary report cards rated Excellent had 61 points or more, and middle school ones 56 or more. High school ratings overlap more: Good ranged from 60 to 72 points and Excellent started at 67. Ten Oaks Middle’s 56 points earned an Excellent for a middle school, while Carolina Forest High School’s 65 points earned a Good for a high school. Compare points only between schools of the same level.

How do I see my school’s full report card?

Every South Carolina public school’s report card, with test results, graduation rates and survey results, is on SC School Report Cards. To find your zoned school, use the Find My School lookup on the Horry County Schools website.

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Questions and answers

How many Horry County schools were rated Excellent in 2026?
21 report cards were rated Excellent on South Carolina's 2026 report cards, out of 59 rated in Horry County Schools, per the SC Department of Education. The state rates each school level separately.
Which Horry County high school had the most points in 2026?
HCS Scholars Academy High School, with 100 of 100 points, followed by HCS Early College High School with 90. Both take students by application.
Were any Horry County schools rated Unsatisfactory in 2026?
No. One report card, the elementary level of Academy of Hope Charter in Conway, was rated Below Average. The rest were Average, Good or Excellent.
Why does Ten Oaks Middle have an Excellent rating with 56 points?
South Carolina sets cut-offs by level. In the 2026 statewide data, middle school report cards with 56 points or more were rated Excellent; high schools need more points for the same rating.

Sources

  1. SC Department of Education: 2026 Report Card Data for Researchers (2025-26) · 2026-11-02
  2. South Carolina School Report Cards (SC Department of Education) · 2026-11-02
  3. Horry County Schools · 2026-11-02
  4. HCS: High school program options (apply online) · 2026-11-02
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