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As filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron said during a ’96 commencement address at Wellesley College, “Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.” If that’s the case, high school may be one of the greatest dress rehearsals of all.

It’s a place where students explore their interests, dive into extracurricular activities, finally get the freedom to choose their own classes, and prepare for college or the workplace. For many of these students and their families, public education is key: 49.5 million students enrolled in public PreK-12 schools in 2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, about a third were in high school, enrolled across about 23,500 public secondary schools nationwide.

For many anxious parents, getting their kids into the best of these public high schools is of the utmost importance. Some families even move homes to get into better school districts. However, among all of these thousands of schools, a few stand out for their academic excellence, incredible track records, and the future success of their young students.

Stacker compiled a list of the 30 best public high schools in South Carolina using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses eight weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics and grades, but other factors include culture and diversity, health and safety, clubs and activities, resources, and surveys of parents, teachers and students. School districts are provided when available; otherwise, the city is listed instead.

Editor’s note: The original article had inaccuracies when multiple schools in South Carolina had the same name. In most of these instances, the wrong data was displayed in the ranking. Stacker sincerely apologizes for the errors.

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#30. May River High School

– District: Beaufort County School District
– Enrollment: 1,478 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#29. Greer Middle College Charter High School

– District: South Carolina Public Charter School District
– Enrollment: 504 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#28. Bluffton High School

– District: Beaufort County School District
– Enrollment: 1,289 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#27. Brashier Middle College

– District: South Carolina Public Charter School District
– Enrollment: 445 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#26. Eastside High School

– District: Greenville County School District
– Enrollment: 1,527 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#25. Hilton Head Island High School

– District: Beaufort County School District
– Enrollment: 1,359 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#24. Spring Valley High School

– District: Richland School District No. 2
– Enrollment: 2,093 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#23. Riverside High School

– District: Greenville County School District
– Enrollment: 1,762 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#22. Chapin High School

– District: Lexington-Richland School District No. 5
– Enrollment: 1,549 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#21. Blythewood High School

– District: Richland School District No. 2
– Enrollment: 1,858 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#20. Berkeley County Middle College High School

– District: Berkeley County School District
– Enrollment: 115 (29:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#19. Dreher High School

– District: Richland School District No. 1
– Enrollment: 1,150 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#18. Wade Hampton High School

– District: Greenville County School District
– Enrollment: 1,781 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#17. Greenville Senior High Academy

– District: Greenville County School District
– Enrollment: 1,534 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#16. Lexington High School

– District: Lexington County School District One
– Enrollment: 2,202 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#15. Mayo High School for Math, Science & Technology

– District: Darlington County School District
– Enrollment: 338 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#14. River Bluff High School

– District: Lexington County School District One
– Enrollment: 2,171 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#13. HCS Early College High School

– District: Horry County Schools
– Enrollment: 345 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#12. Wando High School

– District: Charleston County School District
– Enrollment: 3,330 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#11. Fort Mill High School

– District: Fort Mill School District
– Enrollment: 1,995 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#10. Greenville Technical Charter High School

– District: South Carolina Public Charter School District
– Enrollment: 445 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#9. Dutch Fork High School

– District: Lexington-Richland School District No. 5
– Enrollment: 1,647 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#8. Nation Ford High School

– District: Fort Mill School District
– Enrollment: 1,733 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#7. D.W. Daniel High School

– District: Pickens County School District
– Enrollment: 1,149 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#6. Green Charter School

– District: South Carolina Public Charter School District
– Enrollment: 975 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#5. Charleston School of the Arts

– District: Charleston County School District
– Enrollment: 1,120 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#4. SC Governor’s School for Arts & Humanities

– City: Greenville
– Enrollment: 228
– Niche grade: A+

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#3. Spring Hill High School

– District: Lexington-Richland School District No. 5
– Enrollment: 1,135 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#2. Academic Magnet High School

– District: Charleston County School District
– Enrollment: 698 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#1. South Carolina Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics

– District: Hartsville
– Enrollment: 261
– Niche grade: A+