Can I use Dorchester County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Dorchester County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Dorchester County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Dorchester County?

Start with the 33 listed public schools and 3 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Dorchester County Schools & Education

Name: Dorchester County, South Carolina Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Dorchester County, South Carolina

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

47/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

91.1%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

91.1%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 84.2%

Per-Pupil Spending

$6,873

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,165

School Score

47/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 33/100

State Score Position

of 46 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Dorchester County

Measured School Summary

Dorchester County performs at an average level with a school score of 47/100 and a solid graduation rate of 91.1%.

Funding Context

At $6,873 per pupil, Dorchester County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 42% above the South Carolina average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 6.9 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 4% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Dorchester County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

33 public schools and 3 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

47/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #6 of 46 South Carolina counties with school score data.

Completion

91.1%

6.9 pts above the state average

Funding context

$6,873

$292 below the state average

School coverage

3 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Dorchester County has 33 public schools across 3 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Dorchester County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Dominant-district county

Dorchester 02 carries most of the listed public-school system, with 25 of 33 schools. Start there, then verify whether your target address sits inside that district slice.

State position

of 46 South Carolina counties with school score data. The county score is 14 points above the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

Dorchester 02

Elementary to high school visible

26,135 students

Elementary 15Middle 7High 3Other 0

25 listed schools in this county slice.

Dorchester 04

Elementary to high school visible

2,027 students

Elementary 3Middle 2High 1Other 0

6 listed schools in this county slice.

Dorchester 80

High school only in this slice

0 students

Elementary 0Middle 0High 1Other 0

1 listed school in this county slice.

District reality check

Dorchester 02 is the largest listed district slice, with 25 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Dorchester County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Dorchester County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Data Story

Graduation Rates in Dorchester County Exceed State and National Benchmarks

Education data brief for Dorchester County, South Carolina.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Lead metric:Graduation rate

Dorchester County reports a graduation rate of 91.1%, which is higher than the South Carolina average of 84.2% and the national rate of 87.0%. Education is managed through three districts, dominated by Dorchester 02, which serves 26,135 students across 25 schools. This district includes Summerville High, the county's largest school with an enrollment of 3,308 students. Despite the high graduation rate, the county’s per-pupil expenditure of $6,873 remains below the state average of $7,165 and significantly lower than the $13,000 national average. The composite school score is 47.0, which sits above the state average of 33.4 and near the national median of 50.0. The county features a mix of suburban and rural schools, with only one charter school in operation. Compare district boundaries before drawing conclusions.

Sources

NCES Common Core of Data
U.S. Census Bureau ACS

School Overview

Total Schools

in Dorchester County

Reported Enrollment

28,690

33 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

3% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary18

Middle9

High5

Other1

3 School Districts in Dorchester County

Dorchester 02

Dorchester 04

6 schools

2,027 students

Dorchester 80

1 school

0 students

33 Public Schools in Dorchester County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 7 high-enrollment schools; every NCES public school remains listed here.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 20 of 33 matching schools

Public schools in Dorchester County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
Summerville High	Profile	Dorchester 02	Summerville, 29483Suburb: Large	9–12	High	3,308
Ashley Ridge High	Profile	Dorchester 02	Summerville, 29485Rural: Fringe	9–12	High	2,542
Fort Dorchester High	Profile	Dorchester 02	North Charleston, 29420City: Midsize	9–12	High	2,312
Sand Hill Elementary	Profile	Dorchester 02	Summerville, 29485Rural: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	1,133
Beech Hill Elementary	Profile	Dorchester 02	Summerville, 29485Rural: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	1,101
Oakbrook Middle	Profile	Dorchester 02	Ladson, 29456Suburb: Large	6–8	Middle	1,006
Charles B. DuBose Middle	Profile	Dorchester 02	Summerville, 29483Suburb: Large	6–8	Middle	950
William M. Reeves Elementary	Record	Dorchester 02	Summerville, 29483Suburb: Large	PK–5	Primary	914
Fort Dorchester Elementary	Record	Dorchester 02	Summerville, 29485City: Midsize	PK–5	Primary	892
East Edisto Middle	Record	Dorchester 02	Summerville, 29485Rural: Fringe	6–8	Middle	879
Dr. Eugene Sires Elementary	Record	Dorchester 02	Summerville, 29485Suburb: Large	PK–5	Primary	858
Flowertown Elementary	Record	Dorchester 02	Summerville, 29485Suburb: Large	PK–5	Primary	853
Gregg Middle	Record	Dorchester 02	Summerville, 29483Suburb: Large	6–8	Middle	850
River Oaks Middle	Record	Dorchester 02	North Charleston, 29420City: Midsize	6–8	Middle	849
Joseph R. Pye Elementary	Record	Dorchester 02	Ladson, 29456City: Midsize	PK–5	Primary	823
Alston Middle	Record	Dorchester 02	Summerville, 29483Suburb: Large	6–8	Middle	822
Rollings Middle School of the Arts	Record	Dorchester 02	Summerville, 29483Suburb: Large	6–8	Middle	799
Newington Elementary	Record	Dorchester 02	Summerville, 29485Suburb: Large	PK–5	Primary	758
Alston-Bailey Elementary	Record	Dorchester 02	Summerville, 29483Suburb: Large	PK–5	Primary	715
Knightsville Elementary	Record	Dorchester 02	Summerville, 29483Suburb: Large	PK–5	Primary	699

Summerville High

Dorchester 02

Summerville, 29483 / Suburb: Large

Profile9–12High3,308 students

Ashley Ridge High

Dorchester 02

Summerville, 29485 / Rural: Fringe

Profile9–12High2,542 students

Fort Dorchester High

Dorchester 02

North Charleston, 29420 / City: Midsize

Profile9–12High2,312 students

Sand Hill Elementary

Dorchester 02

Summerville, 29485 / Rural: Fringe

ProfilePK–5Primary1,133 students

Beech Hill Elementary

Dorchester 02

Summerville, 29485 / Rural: Fringe

ProfilePK–5Primary1,101 students

Oakbrook Middle

Dorchester 02

Ladson, 29456 / Suburb: Large

Profile6–8Middle1,006 students

Charles B. DuBose Middle

Dorchester 02

Summerville, 29483 / Suburb: Large

Profile6–8Middle950 students

William M. Reeves Elementary

Dorchester 02

Summerville, 29483 / Suburb: Large

RecordPK–5Primary914 students

Fort Dorchester Elementary

Dorchester 02

Summerville, 29485 / City: Midsize

RecordPK–5Primary892 students

East Edisto Middle

Dorchester 02

Summerville, 29485 / Rural: Fringe

Record6–8Middle879 students

Dr. Eugene Sires Elementary

Dorchester 02

Summerville, 29485 / Suburb: Large

RecordPK–5Primary858 students

Flowertown Elementary

Dorchester 02

Summerville, 29485 / Suburb: Large

RecordPK–5Primary853 students

Gregg Middle

Dorchester 02

Summerville, 29483 / Suburb: Large

Record6–8Middle850 students

River Oaks Middle

Dorchester 02

North Charleston, 29420 / City: Midsize

Record6–8Middle849 students

Joseph R. Pye Elementary

Dorchester 02

Ladson, 29456 / City: Midsize

RecordPK–5Primary823 students

Alston Middle

Dorchester 02

Summerville, 29483 / Suburb: Large

Record6–8Middle822 students

Rollings Middle School of the Arts

Dorchester 02

Summerville, 29483 / Suburb: Large

Record6–8Middle799 students

Newington Elementary

Dorchester 02

Summerville, 29485 / Suburb: Large

RecordPK–5Primary758 students

Alston-Bailey Elementary

Dorchester 02

Summerville, 29483 / Suburb: Large

RecordPK–5Primary715 students

Knightsville Elementary

Dorchester 02

Summerville, 29483 / Suburb: Large

RecordPK–5Primary699 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$6,873

State avg $7,165

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Dorchester County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which South Carolina counties have the highest graduation rates?

Lee County (92.0%), Darlington County (91.1%), and Dorchester County (91.1%) currently lead South Carolina among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in South Carolina?

Across South Carolina counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $7,165. The highest current county values are Fairfield County ($11,084), Richland County ($10,146), and McCormick County ($8,932). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Dorchester County?

Dorchester County has a school score of 47/100, which is a midrange measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Dorchester County?

The high school graduation rate in Dorchester County is 91.1%, which is above the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Dorchester County spend per student?

Dorchester County spends $6,873 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Counties with Similar School Profile

Allendale County

South Carolina

-0 pts

47/100

School score

Calhoun County

South Carolina

-0 pts

47/100

School score

Bamberg County

South Carolina

+1 pts

48/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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